Life can Become Art
by The Metallic Blue Otaku
Summary: (AU) And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could make sorrow into something beautiful. (Hints of All27. No actual pairings)
1. Painting of Eternal Sleep

**Title:**_ "Life can Become Art"_

**Summary: **_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up).__  
_

**Chapter Title: **_"Painting of Eternal Sleep" (Chapter One)_

* * *

_Life can be cruel._

That was all Tsuna could think of as he stared at the glossy black box in front of him, his brown eyes dull and emotionless compared to their usual shine. They hid away his emotions, giving none of the depressing thoughts that clouded his mind away. His mouth was placed in a firm line, keeping him silent, never opening. If he did open his mouth, all of his feelings of the day would come rushing out as a pathetic plea, becoming a disgusting complaint that would change nothing.

There was no point in talking, anyway. He was alone next to the coffin; everybody that had been invited either didn't bother or were too busy to show up. Not even his no-good father, who had claimed to love his mother more than anything, had shown up at her funeral.

"Liar," the brunet mumbled sourly under his breath, sighing shakily. He rested one of his pale hands on the smooth black surface of the box that would be buried under the ground, to someday be forgotten. He slid his fingers over it, creating simple yet complex and beautiful patterns. As his hand reached the end, he opened the top slowly, eyes resting onto the one person that had cared for him.

Her skin had gone pale, both white-gloved hands resting comfortably below her chest, overlapping one another. Her eyes were shut peacefully, almost as though she was simply sleeping comfortably. If only that were the case. The strands of her short brown hair were spread lightly around her, the only bit of color in the sea of white.

In a way, it reminded him of a single stroke of paint on a blank canvas.

Tsuna's brown eyes widened slightly as an idea began to form in his head, pestering him beyond belief until he considered it. It wasn't something he should do at a funeral. But he wanted to do something for her on this day. He wanted to create one last piece of art for her before she was forever buried into the ground.

Thankfully, he had brought all of his supplies with him. After all, he would be heading to his new home afterwards. He would be living with a friend of his father's, who had moved to Namimori for work related matters. The brunet would be staying in Japan, out of his father's way. In a way, he was relieved that he wouldn't have to move away, though it still stung to think that even his father didn't want him around.

The brunet shook his head rapidly, trying to rid his mind of those distracting thoughts. His pale hands grasped the items he needed, putting them in place carefully.

A white canvas and a paint brush, with multiple colors of which he would only use a couple. That was all he needed at the moment. The brunet took off his black jacket, loosening his tie afterwards, before decided to take it off completely as well. Rolling up his white sleeves, he gripped the wooden brush tightly in his right hand, taking another look at his inspiration before making the first stroke.

And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could make sorrow into something beautiful.

As Tsuna painted the replica of his deceased mother, his mind focused only on it. He didn't notice the tall man wearing a black fedora with a yellow band wrapped around it walking up to the empty area, stopping a few feet behind him silently. The man wore a black jacket, only three of the buttons buttoned up, and a yellow dress shirt underneath. A black tie, similar to the one the brunet had been wearing, was tucked into the jacket. The fedora on his head hid his spiky black hair, shadowing part of his pale, handsome face.

His sharp onyx eyes watched as the teenager continued to paint, completely oblivious to his presence. He saw the white and black fill most of the canvas, coming together into a more beautiful replica of the actual scene. The brunet added different, more vibrant colors to the mix, just to highlight a few things.

And then came the brown.

Tsuna put down the brush he had been using, picking up a thinner one in its place. He made soft, quick strokes, capturing the elegant look of his mother's short hair, spread around her face as she slept for eternity. He added in both light and dark browns, even a shade of orange, just to capture the beauty of the one color that he would always remember.

Afterwards he made the background. The tree behind was large and seemed to fit the picture perfectly. Its trunk was wide, and it became thinner as it went up, splitting into a complicated yet elegant criss-cross of branches. The bark was more of a light gray color than brown, something that was unusual yet captivating. And with the dark green leaves, it seemed perfect. Tsuna looked up and took a mental picture of the falling leaves, immediately adding them into the mix.

He had always loved to create something that seemed to pause time, making that entire moment timeless. But time didn't really stand still, and he knew that. He just didn't want things to continue at the moment. He would have given anything at that very minute, second, to keep everything the same, to keep everything from moving forward.

Just as he finished signing his name in the bottom right corner out of habit, small enough to where it wasn't annoying but big enough to be noticeable, a hand rested on his shoulder, causing him to jump. The brunet managed to withhold a girlish scream, but his dull brown eyes widened in fear on instinct.

"It's beautiful," the man stated, removing his hand. Once he saw the confused look in those still large brown eyes, he gestured to the painting. The short brunet seemed to finally register the compliment, blushing slightly. He opened his mouth to protest, but the man asked a question he didn't have an answer to before he could.

"What's the title?"

"Huh," Tsuna asked, tilting his head to the side cutely. He blinked his large eyes, and his caramel-colored bangs fell lightly into his pale face (Though it wasn't as pale as the man's). The curly side-burn man smirked

"The title to the painting."

The teenager hummed to himself at the question, looking over to his work. He thought over different titles, though one kept popping into his head. To himself, it sounded cheesy, almost extremely so, but it was the only one that matched the painting. It just seemed to fit perfectly.

"Painting of Eternal Sleep," Tsuna mumbled, keeping his gaze on the canvas.

The man nodded his head at the answer, liking the title. He titled his fedora down a little more, hiding the expression he wore. Though a small smile had etched itself onto his face, it was unseen to the teenager in front of him, "It fits, Tsunayoshi."

At his name, the brunet snapped his head over to the taller man, "How do you know my name?"

"Your father arranged for you to live with me, so you could stay in Japan," he answered, smirking slightly as he saw the sour expression plastering onto the teenager's face, "My name is Reborn, you're caretaker from today on. Just so we're clear, I don't like disobedience."

The menacing aura that surrounded Reborn made the brunet shiver, feeling as though he was standing in front of his inevitable doom. Tsuna nodded his head rapidly in understanding, not wanting to get on the man's bad side straight from the beginning. Afterwards he packed his supplies back into his bags, holding onto the canvas gently. Reborn closed the coffin lid, and led him back to his car.

Tsuna put his things in the back, and climbed into the front seat just as rain began to fall from the sky. Before closing the door, he looked back over to the empty area with the coffin, watching as the small droplets of water leaked through the branches of the trees covering it, splattering on impact of the glossy black surface.

The sound of the car door closing resounded within his ears as the car took off, and he didn't take his eyes away from where his mom would forever rest until it was out of sight. His grip on the canvas with her final painting tightened slightly, and Tsuna had to resist the urge to look at it. Because if he did, the tears in his eyes would surely fall.**  
**

* * *

**AN: **_So, I deleted "Skies the Limit" because I'm using the idea of the Aces and such for my own novel. So, instead, I thought I'd do a KHR! AU story. It has no pairing, meaning no romance. _

_Anyways, I don't know if I should continued this or not, so please review and tell me if I should. If you have criticism or any ideas, I'd love to hear them, so please put them in a review!~ _

**Edited: November 6th, 2013**


	2. New Home

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary****:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could make sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer****:**_I do not own KHR! Or any of its characters. I do however own the plot to this story._

**Chapter Title: **_"New Home" (Chapter Two)_

* * *

_His grip on the canvas with her final painting tightened slightly, and Tsuna had to resist the urge to look at it. Because if he did, the tears in his eyes would surely fall._

The car ride to the home he would be staying at was uncomfortable to say the least. The two of them were silent, neither trying to make conversation with the other. Though Tsuna was tempted to try a few times, wanting nothing more than to break the unbearable, nerve-wracking silence. But with a quick glance to the side, the brunet decided it would be safer to stay quiet. Reborn didn't seem like a social person.

The fedora-wearing man didn't seem to notice the art prodigy's uncomfortable squirming in his seat, his hands fiddling in his lap. His head kept going back and forth, watching the familiar layout of the city as it passed around him. The teenager never liked to sit still or be quiet for too long, always being able to talk to his mom. The tense silence was _killing_ him.

He thought about sketching something, just to be able to do something, but there were two problems to that idea.

One was that all his art supplies were in the back of the car (Along with the rest of his possessions.). The only thing he had up front with him was his most recent painting. The one he had created only a short while ago, using his forever-sleeping mother as his muse.

And the second problem was that he could never draw anything decent with the constant bumping of the car, though it was mild on flat ground. He had always been a perfectionist when it came to his artwork, and the less-than-perfect lines would irritate him beyond belief every time he tried to sketch something while in a moving vehicle.

Tsuna sighed in frustration, trying not to think anymore. He shifted slightly, getting into a more comfortable position to rest his head against the window, his bangs being pushed against his forehead as they went against the glass.

He watched the scenery go by, noting a few places that he had drawn or painted before. He took the silent moment to look for new buildings or trees to sketch some other day.

* * *

The moment they had finally arrived at Reborn's home, Tsuna couldn't help but stare. It wasn't what he had expected. The tall man seemed more like a fancy apartment or condo kind of person, but instead he lived in a two-story house. Just guessing from the look of it, the brunet guessed there to be five or so rooms, more than needed in his opinion. But he had only ever lived with his mother, an occasional visit from his father or grandpa.

As they walked into the house, Tsuna took in the architecture, wondering if there was anything interesting. The door had a beautiful and elegant pattern at the top, as well as a small half-circle stained glass window. The mosaic-type style created a beautiful humming bird in the middle, surrounded by a variety of flowers.

The glass was in deep reds and soft oranges, with yellow mixed in, as well as green, white, and purple for the bird. The flowers were all different shades of blue, reaching from the deep color of royal blue to more of a pastel. It was a simply (For stained-glass) yet beautiful piece of artwork.

The art prodigy sighed in content at the sight, a light blush covering his face. One of his hands twitched, wanting nothing more than to create something out of the pattern. He had always been a sucker for stained glass.

Reborn kicked the brunet lightly in the shin to get his attention, going up the stairs once he did. The fedora-wearing man led him to one of the rooms, specifically the one that was nearest to the back of the hallway.

Tsuna noted that the three other rooms were closed and locked, as though other people besides Reborn, who's own door was shut (A 'Keep Out' sign making it notable), lived there.

And as though he read the teenager's mind, the dark-eyed man stated calmly, "I share the house with four others, now five, I suppose, counting you. The five of us, including you and me, are roomed up here, and the last one is in the basement. Since we all travel for work, we share this house here, chipping in with the pay."

"You travel for work," the brunet asked, soaking in all the information. He wondered why one of the others lived in the basement instead of the room that he would be in. But after a moment of trying to think of the reason, he shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. No need to pry into things that didn't concern him.

"Yes. But you'll have at least one person here with you at all times."

"Oh."

Their conversation ended there, Reborn going silent. He set the bag he had been carrying onto the teenager's bed, watching as the brunet set down the canvas, the picture on it facing the wall. They went back down to the car afterwards, bringing up the rest of Tsuna's belongings.

"I'll leave you to unpack. Go ahead and do what you want with the room, though don't destroy the place. Once you've settle, we'll go over house rules and other important matters during dinner."

Tsuna nodded silently at that, wondering over to his window. He looked at the view from it, seeing an almost perfect layout of the city, the sun beginning to set over the horizon. He heard the door click shut as his new caretaker left the room, leaving him alone. Tsuna's brown eyes watched as the sky began to fade into beautiful colors.

Reds, pinks, yellows, oranges, even a bit of lavender. All of them mixing together and creating a magnificent view.

"I wonder," the brunet mumbled, listening to the sweet songs of the birds, and the soft rustle of the trees nearby. There wasn't anybody in this part of the neighborhood at the moment, something Tsuna enjoyed.

"I wonder if you can see this from Heaven, mom."

* * *

Dinner was exactly what Tsuna thought it was going to be. Take-out. Reborn was kind enough to allow the art prodigy to choose where they would order from, but not before listing off the places he wouldn't allow him to choose. Luckily, the dark-haired man didn't list off his favorite place in the "No" category.

The brunet took the opportunity, immediately ordering from TakeSushi, which was, as the name suggested, a sushi restaurant. He had walked past the shop a few times, but had never been able to step in.

Sushi was his comfort food, in a way. Whenever he was upset, he'd get it, or his mom would make it for him.

As he took a bite from the familiar tasting food, fond memories washed over him, and he smiled gently. The brunet couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Reborn take a hesitant bite, though immediately went silent at the look he received. When the pale man shrugged his shoulders in an "It's ok" kind of way, Tsuna mentally jumped up and down in victory.

"You seem to like this," the dark-haired man noted, taking another piece of the Japanese dish. He had taken off his fedora, and it sat on the coffee table in the living room where he had placed it. His dark eyes watched as the brunet blushed softly, avoiding eye contact, and couldn't help but to smirk at the sight.

"Y-yeah…"

"Then I suppose we'll have to order from there more often."

Tsuna's head snapped over to him in surprise at that, brown eyes wide in surprise. He leaned over the table a bit, voice loud as he asked quickly, trying to withhold his excitement (But failing to the max), "R-really!? You mean that? No joke?"

Reborn nodded his head, leaning back in his chair. "But I have one condition, can you agree to it?"

"Yes," Tsuna immediately replied, though looked confused a few moments later, "Wait, what's the condition."

"You transfer to the Namimori's Private school for Gifted Teenagers. Otherwise known as NPGT."

"What?"

The brunet's head tilted to the side in question. Wasn't he staying with Reborn so he didn't have to transfer schools? Or was it just to keep him in Japan, so he wouldn't bother his no-good father?

"You have a talent for art," Reborn responded after swallowing another piece of sushi, "And the school you're currently at doesn't have the proper means of teaching you to enhance that talent."

To enhance his talent? Tsuna squirmed at the thought, somewhat in excitement but more out of nervousness. Was he that good to go to a private school for gifted teens? "Are all students there for art," he asked in curiosity.

"No, NPGT is wide-ranged. They have prodigies for the arts, sports, technology. Pretty much anything you can think of that you can be enhanced at, they have it there. You would be in the arts. I know of a few people that are connected to the Vongola Corporation, where your father and I work, that go there."

The brunet's face turned sour at the mention of his dad. He had never really cared for him. He was rarely home, leaving Tsuna and his mom alone for years on end. And when he did come home, all he did was lie around in his underwear and drink and sleep and snore really, _really _loudly.

How is one supposed to look up to someone like that?

"When do I start school," Tsuna mumbled, trying to rid his mind of thoughts of his father. He noticed the look of pity Reborn gave him, and guessed that he had been around the lazy-blonde more than once.

"You start Monday, meaning in three days. We'll have to get you fitted for a uniform tomorrow, so I'll take you to the campus so you can see the layout of the school grounds."

"Thank you, Reborn."

"Don't mention it. Now, you should go take a shower. We'll be getting up early tomorrow."

"A-alright," Tsuna said immediately, rushing off upstairs to his room. Once he as out of view, he stopped, trying to think over what just happened. What had he just gotten himself into?

* * *

**AN: **_So, two reviews telling me that I should continue, five favorites, and eight follows made me extremely excited to write this chapter. That's why it's up only the day after. XD Thank you for the reviews, favorites, and follows!~ I nearly squealed when I saw them this morning. XD_

_I honestly really like this idea, because art is one of those things that I have knowledge of, since I'm an artist myself. Though, I'm not on the level I make Tsuna to be in. I can't paint a tree, let alone what Tsuna painted. I guess that isn't true, though, because I painted a pretty good bonzai tree in school last year..._

_And sorry for the short chapters. My writing style is writing small scenes, and that usually results in short chapters. Though I should be able to update relatively quickly by doing so. No promises though. _

_(*takes deep breath*) Ok, I'm going to stop babbling. Please review!~ :3 They give me inspiration!~_

**Edited: November 6th, 2013**


	3. The Fitting Day

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title:**_"The Fitting Day" (Chapter Three)_

* * *

_What had he just gotten himself into?  
_

When morning came, Tsuna wished that he hadn't agreed to go to the private school. He wasn't an early bird, never having to get up before seven-thirty A.M before. But looking back at it, the brunet wished that he had just gotten up when Reborn told him to, because the punishment he suffered for not doing so was worse than getting up early. _Way_ worse.

The constant knocking on his door and demands of "Get up, we have to leave!" were irritating (And menacing sounding) as it was. And even when the dark-haired man threatened to dump a bucket of water on him (The bucket included with the threat), the brunet didn't move. His finger didn't even twitch. After all, his door was locked. There was no way that his caretaker could get in, right?

Wrong. Somehow (Tsuna couldn't figure out how for the life of him) Reborn had gotten in his room, and had done exactly what he said he would do. And just to surprise the unsuspecting teenager, he made the water not cold, but boiling hot. Not enough to give him major burns, but just minors ones which still hurt like no tomorrow.

And that got Tsuna out of bed faster than his mom saying she was going to let him starve to death.

"Hiiiiieeeee! Ow, ow, ow, ow! That's hot," he screeched, falling out of his bed and landing roughly onto the carpeted floor. He flopped around for a while, yelling about the burns he would be suffering from for days on end, his hands clutching his sore forehead where the bucket had hit him.

Once he had calmed down, Tsuna looked up at his caretaker, and regretted it immediately. Those dark eyes were looking down on him like a lion about to pounce on a gazelle, promising further torture that would result in worse injuries than a few minor burns and a bump on his head if he didn't get his ass moving.

And that dark, dangerous aura leaking from Reborn's body… The brunet shivered despite the warm temperature of the room, grabbing the clothes he had laid out last night and running to the only safe place in the house: the bathroom.

"You have five minutes to shower," Reborn told him through the door, still sounding ticked-off. When he heard a high-pitched cry in confusion, he said in a deeper, angrier voice, "If you had gotten up the first time I told you to, you would have longer. Oh, and no breakfast. We're going to be late as it is."

With that, the fedora-wearing man walked away from the bathroom, hearing a loud screech of "What" and a few loud thumps, and, despite his fowl mood, he couldn't help but smirk. A devious, I-will-torture-him-later smirk.

* * *

As it turned out, they weren't late. In fact, they arrived five minutes early. If anything, Tsuna could have grabbed two pieces of toast and ate it on the way, and they would've still arrived early.

The brunet, in a moment of complete irritation after the car was parked, snapped about his idea of the toast. If the incident this morning wasn't enough to tell him that he just needed to go along with what Reborn said, then the menacing look and cocked gun aimed at his head was. Wait, _gun_?

"Hiiiiieeeee," the art prodigy shrieked, brown eyes going wide in terror as he stared at the cold metallic object, smelling the gunpowder's scent that seemed to roll off of the weapon in the close proximity.

Reborn's signature fedora rested on his head, shading part of his face to add to the dangerous-and-deadly factor, if that was even possible. And although death was a knock away, the brunet couldn't help but to think of why the older man _had_ a _gun_ with him in the first place.

From what his father's letter had told him (Which wasn't much, making the teenager's impression of his dad become even more useless), Reborn was a professional writer and information-gatherer for the Vongola Corporation.

Tsuna couldn't think of a single reason as to why the taller man would have a _gun_. Except if it was for torturing him, which he hoped, wasn't the case.

"Be on your best behavior," the fedora-wearing man stated, pulling back his gun. He tucked it inside of his jacket, most likely where the hostler was hidden. "I asked a friend to get you registered, and I don't want you making an idiot of me."

"O-Ok," Tsuna stuttered out weakly, clutching his notebook of sketches (Which his caretaker had told him to bring) in his arms as he climbed out of the dark colored car. The door shut rather loudly, making him jump in his nervous state. His hands moved constantly as they made their way out of the parking lot, going from his sides to in front of him to behind his back.

He walked a few steps behind Reborn, head turning in different directions as he stared at the school. It was quite large, something he would expect for a private school that took in different talented teens. There were three separate buildings in total, the one they were going into in the center and being the largest. It was three stories in height, though despite being only one more floor than his new home, was significantly taller. Were the students giraffes?

The building was built with different material, most of it being dark, rusty-red colored bricks, the thin lines of cement in between each of them being light gray. The other parts seemed to be made out of concrete, though were painted in royal blue or gold instead of their usual gray appearance. Tsuna liked the contrast between colors. The blues made the yellows pop out and the two colors made the rusty red seem brighter. An inviting school, that was his first impression.

As they walked inside the glass double doors of the front office, the scent of cherry and pinewood almost overpoweringly hit him like the bucket that Reborn had dumped on him earlier. Luckily the air wasn't a solid, because the brunet's forehead still hurt from that incident. His forehead ached at the thought.

The two of them stood in the office quietly after the dark-haired writer had told one of the secretaries that he had an appointment with the principle. She had stared at him for a moment; her face becoming redder than a tomato as the seconds went by, before nodding her head furiously and rushing off into the back rooms. The squeals after she had disappeared nearly shattered Tsuna's eardrums.

Reborn didn't seem fazed by her actions at all. He actually sighed heavily as though it was a natural occurrence. The art prodigy just grumbled sour thoughts in his head. Some people were just lucky to be good looking. And tall.

"Reborn," cried a loud and sweet voice. Tsuna watched as a blue haired woman came rushing out of her office, obviously the principle, and hugged the writer without any hesitation. Immediately, red lights went off in the brunet's head, scared that his evil caretaker would hurt the friendly lady for touching him.

But to the brunet's surprise, he didn't. He simply patted her back in an awkward but friendly manor, and if Tsuna didn't want to be killed in the most gruesome of ways, he would've noted the blush resting on his pale skin.

"Chaos, Luce," the dark-haired man greeted once she had let him go from her bone-crushing embrace (Which he seemed unfazed from), tilting his fedora down to hide his expression. "I hope you've been well."

"Of course," the cheerful lady said in a bubbly way, the smile on her face seeming to brighten up the room magnificently. The art prodigy blushed lightly at the sight, wanting nothing more than to draw the endearing expression.

Luce turned towards him as though she had heard his thoughts, eyes brightening up. Below her left eye was a flower tattoo that caught his attention immediately, it being unique in every way. It would be a nice pattern for an abstract painting. Or maybe just something that would make a portrait of her become more eye-catching. He couldn't decide.

"This must be Tsunayoshi," she said in an excited tone, clasping both of his hands in her own. Tsuna noted that she had a slight accent, just as Reborn did. The writer, he had been told, was from Italy. Was Luce from Italy, too? "My, he's so adorable! Like a little kitten!"

The brunet's face heated up at the compliment (If you would call being compared to a kitten a compliment). He could almost feel the smirk his caretaker was giving him, and it irritated the art prodigy beyond belief, not that he showed it.

"J-Just call me-e Tsuna, Ms. Luce," he managed to stutter out, trying to take a step back almost desperately. He didn't mind her, but being so close to someone when he was usually shunned and avoided like the plague was uncomfortable. She bounced a little, a small blush on her face. Then, she hugged him, nearly breaking his spine in the process.

"Oh," Luce cooed, rubbing her cheek into his spiky brown, incredibly soft hair, "Please, just call me Mama Luce!"

The chuckle he heard from the tall man behind his new principle made his blush intensify, and he could already feel that it was going to be a long, _long_ day.

* * *

As it turned out, they went for a tour first. And honestly, that was probably the least eventful part of the day (Something Tsuna appreciated). He got showed the art room, the offices (One for each grade, including high school), and the academic wing where most of the math, science, and language arts classes were located. All of the information of where to go slipped his mind as soon as it was said, worrying Tsuna. But the tour was pleasant, and uneventful, so it was all good.

It was the fitting that was the worst part of the day. And that was because the girl that was taking his measurements didn't seem to be paying any attention to him. No, she kept staring at Reborn, making 'googly eyes' at him in a sense. Usually, that wouldn't exactly bother the brunet, but when she kept giving him the wrong sizes and made the day that much longer, he was starting to get a little annoyed.

Just a little.

"Wrong size again," Tsuna muttered in an irritated voice, his annoyed expression matching his tone perfectly. The woman looked at him with narrowed eyes, as though telling him to watch it. But the brunet really didn't care. He was tired, starved, and just wanted to go sulk in his room.

Who made someone go to school the day after their mother died, anyway?

_Apparently Reborn,_he thought, going back into the changing room to try on another uniform. Though the brunet had to admit, that being here and focusing on school was keeping him from complete and utter depression.

He let his white and orange t-shirt slip off, revealing the smooth cream-colored skin of his chest. He didn't have big muscles, considering he wasn't the most athletic person in the world, but he did have some at the very least. The white button up shirt slipped on and he could already tell that it was the right size, but just a glance at the pants told him they were going to be way to big for his petite body size. He was like his mother like that; having a small figure only a girl would want.

"These pants are too big, same with the vest, but the shirt is fine," Tsuna told the fitter, who had currently been trying to get Reborn's number, and handed her the items. She huffed in annoyance and grabbed another pair of the two pieces of clothing randomly.

And they were obviously way too big.

Tsuna had always thought that there was a limit to how clueless someone could be. He now knew that he was wrong with that idea. There was no such limit, especially not for someone trying to desperately get the attention of someone that was obviously not interested.

And it made the brunet's polite shell snap. No, snap was the wrong word. It made his shell shatter, crumble, disappear for a moments notice.

"You know what, I'll get them myself. If I let you keep handing me random pieces of the uniform while you stare at Reborn, I'll be here all day. So just go back to staring at him in a creepy, obsessed looking way and pretend that he doesn't notice the saliva dripping from your mouth, I'll get _your_ job done by _myself,_" he growled out angrily, glaring at her as he searched through the stack of clothes roughly. Not even a minute afterwards, he found the correct size.

The art prodigy went back into the changing room, ignoring the shocked looks on the two female adults in the room (Reborn's expression was hidden under his fedora, but the brunet swore he saw an amused smirk on his face), and tried them on immediately. And they fit. The orphan blue vest fit his small chest just right, and the pants were the exact length and size that he liked.

Tsuna walked out from behind the curtain after putting back on the clothes he had worn there, his uniform folded neatly and pressed against his white and orange shirt covering his chest. His brown eyes were still narrowed, but he didn't seem as angry.

With a quick intake of air that he sighed out a few moments later, he walked over to his caretaker, sending the silent message that he wanted to go home. _Now_.

"Well, that's all we needed to do. Your books, other supplies will be shipped to us and should arrive tomorrow, and we can get your schedule from the school's website," Reborn said, resting a hand on one of the brunet's shoulders, "It was nice seeing you, Luce. Have a nice day."

With that, the two of them walked out of the room, ignoring the uniform-fitter's cry of "Come back" (Most likely for the dark-haired Writer's number. Would she ever learn the signs of someone being uninterested?) before the door shut close, a result of Luce. She waved goodbye, giggly softly, and gave a small smile and a simple "See you Monday".

* * *

**AN: **_This chapter is longer than the first two, which I hope all of you like. XD I saw five more reviews, a few new favorites, and a lot of new followers, which in a result gave me inspiration to write this chapter yesterday! It would have been up yesterday, but I had to get off of the computer before I could upload it. _

_In some of the reviews, people were wondering what the other Guardian's "Gifts" would be, and all I can say is wait and see. I'm sure you can think of some of them (Considering they had the talents in the Anime and Manga.), but for some of the Guardians I will have to improvise. XD But this is an AU story, so it shouldn't be a crime if I did so._

_Anyhow, please review!~ They give me an energy boost to write up chapters quicker!~_

**Edited: November 12th, 2013**


	4. Meeting One of the Roomates

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title:**_"Meeting One of the Roommates" (Chapter Four)_

* * *

_…The door shut close, a result of Luce, who gave a small smile and a simple "See you Monday"._

Chapter Four:  
Meeting One of the Roommates

His first day at Namimori's Private school for Gifted Teens came sooner than he would've liked. The morning was peaceful, something he did not expect. Light fluttered into his pretty-much-empty-room from the cracks between the orange curtains, landing on his face in a gentle fashion.

The brunet's eyes fluttered open, looking around. Panic filled his brown orbs before registering his surroundings. For a moment, he saw his mother, standing next to his bed and smiling gently, telling him it was time to get up. Just like she always did on a school day.

But then she was gone, and instead was replaced with empty space. On reflex one of his hands reached out, trying to bring back his hallucination even though he knew it was pointless. He clutched air, and kept his arm out, staring at it as his sight went blurry.

"Mom," Tsuna mumbled, blinking away the tears forming in his eyes. He shook his head like a yet dog, trying to rid himself of those thoughts.

Standing from his warm, comfortable, inviting bed, he walked over to his dresser, picking up the uniform pieces that were folded neatly on top of it. The fabric of the vest was smooth like silk, different from the other two articles of clothing. The art prodigy rubbed his finger along the material for a few moments, taking his time.

"Tsuna, time to get up."

The brunet jumped at the voice, looking over fearfully at his closed door. Much to his surprise, his caretaker didn't open it up like he had all the other days, and some part of him thought that the taller man somehow knew he was up. A few seconds later the teenager heard Reborn's footsteps moving away from his door, and blinked.

The Writer wasn't acting like his usual self. Why?

"Oh well," he sighed, grasping the lucky event mentally with both hands. Tsuna unlocked his door, walking out quietly and headed towards the bathroom. On the way he saw one of the doors that had been recently closed wide-open, and blinked his large brown eyes in confusion.

Inside the room layout was relatively ordinary, a bed up against one of the cherry red walls, a nightstand next to it, and a dresser on the opposite side. He saw bags on the floor, set together in a neat and tidy way, and figured that one of Reborn's roommates had come back from traveling.

The brunet shrugged his shoulders, closing the bathroom door as he entered it. He started the shower, feeling it to make sure it wasn't too warm, before stepping back to undress. His pajamas were put in the laundry bin, and he stepped under the falling water, the warmth of it relaxing him immediately. His brown locks flattened as the weight of the water weighed them down, and the art prodigy sighed in content.

There was nothing more relaxing than a warm shower in the morning.

* * *

When the art prodigy went down stairs for breakfast, he was surprised to see Reborn's roommate who had got back from traveling, cooking. The Writer himself was sitting at the table, already dressed in his regular yellow dress shirt, black tie and black pants, though his jacket and fedora were nowhere in sight. A hot cup of coffee was held in one of his hands, the other holding up the paper.

The man that was cooking looked to be about the same again as Reborn, but seemed to be an inch or so shorter. His hair was black and worn long, being tied in a loose braid that went down his back. He had dark eyes, and slightly tanned skin. He wore a red robe and white pants that bunched at his knees, foreign clothes that made Tsuna wonder if he wasn't from here.

"Is this him, Reborn," the stranger asked, startling the brunet from his thoughts. He gave a soft smile, stepping away from the oven. "My name is Fon, and you must be Tsunayoshi?"

"Y-Yes," the teenager stuttered out, "But just call me Tsuna."

Fon's smile never seemed to waver, even when Reborn told him that he didn't need to be polite to the small brunet.

"Reborn," Tsuna hissed out, glaring lightly at the taller man. He felt a small pang of fear for doing such a thing, though the pale man simply ignored the glare.

The Writer smirked, taking a sip from his coffee. "By the way, Fon, you came back because Luce offered you a job, correct?"

The longhaired man nodded his head, making a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon for the teenager. Tsuna couldn't help but notice that it was turkey bacon, but with a small test bite, he deemed that it tasted almost exactly like what it regularly did.

"Yes. Luce asked me to be the new martial arts teacher at the school she works at. She said that the old one quit after one of his students humiliated him front of the entire school."

"Then could you give Tsuna a ride to school? I would take him, but I need to leave to my publisher's office for a meeting."

"I'm fine with that," Fon stated, looking over to the brunet who was nearly done with his breakfast already. A thought passed his mind, unable to tell what the answer was just by logical thought, "What's your talent, Tsuna?"

The teenager looked over at him, blinking for a moment and tilted his head. He chewed the food in his mouth before swallowing, replying immediately afterwards, "I'm advanced, I guess, in Art."

"I suppose that means I won't see you around the campus very often."

"You wouldn't want to," Reborn commented, an evil smirk forming on his face, "I did some research on him, and it turns out he's very clumsy. His classmates used to call him Dame-Tsuna because he would mess up all the time. And because he always had the lowest scores in class."

A blush settled on Tsuna's face, remembering his horrible nickname he had gotten when he first started school. It was true, he had always been the worst in class, bringing down the average and getting everyone mad, but always managed to pass. Just barely, every single year.

"I expect you to get at least a B+ average, or else there will be consequences, Dame-Tsuna."

The brunet simply sighed. He should have known that was coming.

* * *

**AN: **_Short chapter, yes, I know. But, I uploaded twice today, so forgive me? _

_I suspect some people guessed that Fon was one of the people that lived with Reborn. Am I right? XD To me, it was pretty obvious that it would be him, because Fon and Reborn just seem to get along pretty well. But the others are a mystery still!~ And so are the Guardian's talents!~ Muahahaha!~_

_Next chapter will show Tsuna's first day of school. I'm going to try and make it sort of long, but no promises. _

_Anyways, please review!~ They give me inspiration to write chapters quicker! _


	5. First Day Mess-Ups

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title:**_"First-Day Mess-Ups" (Chapter Five)_

* * *

_The brunet simply sighed. He should have known that was coming._

Chapter Five:  
First-Day Mess-Ups

When the calming hum of the car stopped, so did Tsuna's hopes of somehow getting out of going to school. His large brown eyes watched as students walked passed the car, searching for someone, anyone, who didn't seem so terrifying. Sadly for him, everyone seemed to be glaring at him, as though they knew how utterly useless he was just by glancing his way.

The taunts and insults from his old classmates began to echo inside his head, and he knew that nothing would change here. Eventually, they would all call him Dame-Tsuna, or maybe even something worse.

But strangely enough, the brunet had a foreign feeling of…hope? This school would mainly focus on his talents, after, and even he admitted that he was pretty good at art. He was nearly good as the professions, but he was getting there. It was the only thing he wasn't a complete failure at. So maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't be a nuisance?

_Even if I'm good at art, that won't help me with my regular required classes, _the brunet sighed heavily, the small bit of hope diminishing almost immediately. He would still need to take his worse classes, the ones that were mandatory for adult life, like math. Oh, math, the cursed subject…

Tsuna was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't seem to notice that raven-haired man watching him, slightly leaning against the steering wheel of the car. Fon's dark eyes scanned over the teenager, quietly watching the art prodigy cower at one moment and look hopeful the next.

It was quite the interesting show. The Chinese-man had never seen someone shift through emotions so quickly. He couldn't help but smirk, but with a quick glance at his watch, realized both of them would be late at this rate.

"Tsuna," he said softly, trying to contain a chuckle when the brunet jumped in shock, nearly bumping his head on the ceiling of the car, "Though its entertaining to watched you, we both need to get to class before we're late."

The student blinked a few times, blushing lightly when he realized Fon had been watching him freak out for ten minutes. His brown eyes shifted their gaze down to his folded hands in his lap, not wanting to leave the safety of the vehicle. Maybe the older man would allow him to skip…He seemed like the understanding type, after all.

"I'd allow you to skip, but Reborn is your legal guardian at the moment. And if he finds out you skipped…we'd both be in trouble."

Tsuna knew that Fon was right, and honestly, he would rather be tortured by boring school lectures that never seemed to help instead of an angry Writer. After all, the school wouldn't shoot him with a gun if he did something wrong. Or so he hoped…

* * *

Almost immediately, everything went wrong. Tsuna had gone into the building by himself, Fon having to go to a different one for his Martial Arts class. He had had a small amount of confidence that he would be able to find his first class. But a few steps down a one of the many hallways made him freeze in horror.

He had no idea where he was, or where he was going.

The brunet turned his head frantically from side to side, trying to find something that looked familiar. Or something that would tell him where to go. Or someone that could show him the way. But when he couldn't find anything or anyone, his heart sped up in panic.

"How can I be lost already," he hissed, walking down the path he'd come from. Except it didn't look like what he had remembered. Which could not be possible, because rooms don't juts transform in a moment's notice.

"This school is like a labyrinth…a magical labyrinth that keeps changing, like out of a book," Tsuna decided, looking around for people. Nobody was in sight, which worried him. He had seen people outside. Was he actually early? But why would Fon lie to him? It didn't seem like the martial arts teacher to do such a thing…

Something hit the brunet once it finally set in that he was lost. Would he be forever lost? Would anybody fine him? His thoughts kept him in a panic-like state, adding to the idea of him having an over-active imagination. His therapist (Which one of his old teachers had recommended.) had told him that it was common for someone like him to have an over-creative mind.

When he started thinking of building a shelter out of pencils (Which practically screamed psycho.) and finding a water fountain for his water source, an arm wrapped around his neck in a friendly matter. The brunet, in shock, jumped up, somewhat restraint from the arm. He let out his signature high-pitched screech, closing his brown eyes tightly together.

"Hey, you must be new here," the 'attacker' said in a happy-go-lucky voice. Tsuna opened his eyes when he felt no threat, looking up at the person who was taller than him by a little more than a head, nearly matching Reborn's height. He had tan skin that told the brunet he was outdoors often, and by how toned his muscles were, it was because he was an athlete of some sort.

The stranger's eyes were amber, seeming bright and cheerful. Though Tsuna could see a well hidden under layer of an emotion he knew well, and it was clear to the brunet that he was trying not to let anybody know of it. The art prodigy didn't comment about it, and instead noted his dark black hair.

"I'm Yamamoto Takeshi, a first year like you," the tan teenager pulled the shorter boy along, probably not trying to tug him on purpose. He didn't ask where the brunet needed to go and acted like he himself didn't care where they would wonder off. "I'm a sports prodigy, wide-ranged, but I focus mainly on baseball and kendo. What's your talent? Oh! And I forgot to your name!"

For an odd moment, Tsuna felt completely and utterly exhausted. The way the sports prodigy was able to talk without worrying of what he was saying was tiring, in a way. How could someone be so carefree? And with a person they literally just me!

"Hmm? Are you all right? Hello~?"

"Hiiiee," brunet gasped, torn away from his thoughts from a touch to his cheek. Yamamoto had poked his cheek (Something that had always irritated Tsuna.), trying to gain his attention. Which was a success. The dark-haired student made a mental note of how to get the short teenager's attention without much effort.

"I asked what your name and talent was," he said, not seeming annoying at all. He still looked carefree and happy, not irritated with the brunet at all.

"O-oh. I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but just call me Tsuna. I'm an…an a-art prodigy," he replied, shifting his gaze from side to side. People were starting to become more abundant, which made him sigh both in relief and disappointment.

Yamamoto smiled brightly at the answer. "Really? Cool! What area of art are you in?"

At the question, Tsuna's brown eyes drifted up to stare at the ceiling in thought. He thought over his answer, mentally sorting through the forms of art he was either good at or enjoyed doing. "Hmm… I'd say I'm pretty wide-ranged, but I focus more on painting and sketching. I like using oil pastels, too."

"What do you like to sketch?"

"Anything, really. Landscapes, people, plants, animals. If it catches my interest, chances are I'll end up sketching or painting it."

"Do you have any with you?"

"Y-yeah," Tsuna replied hesitantly, looking down at the ground as they walked.

"Can I see them," Yamamoto grinned, but when a loud bell rang, it melted off his face. "Ah, can I see them at lunch, actually? Class is about to start. Oh, yeah, actually, that reminds. I was gonna ask if you were lost! You looked as though you were about to have a panic attack."

"Hehe," the brunet chuckled lightly, immediately making a mental note that the sports prodigy most likely had a habit of forgetting things. "Yeah, I got lost. Hey, do you know where this class is?"

The art prodigy showed his new acquaintance (He was hesitant to call the dark-haired teen his friend just incase he didn't see him as one.) his schedule, and immediately the tan first year's face brightened up.

"Yeah, actually, I do! That's my first class of the day, too," He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head in a relaxed manor. His amber eyes closed as he grinned happily, "Ha, what's the chances of that happening! Come on, I'll show you the way!"

"O-ok."

* * *

His first class had been English, which he completely failed at. It turned out that it was a test day, and Tsuna was sure he flunked it. The brunet wasn't really worried about that fact until he remembered what Reborn had said. His shoulders sunk at the realization that we would be tortured mercilessly once the Writer found out. Just his luck.

The art prodigy's second class was math, which was pretty uneventful, except for the note-worthy fact that Yamamoto (Who had most of the same classes as him.) was just as bad at the subject as he was. In a way, that was a relief, though at the same time, kind of sad.

His third class was his first elective. He was put in a widespread art class, and luckily for him, they were just starting a new project.

"Ok, our new assignment," said the art teacher, a cheerful blonde that Tsuna immediately realized was a klutz, if him breaking pottery and crashing into canvases didn't make that obvious, "Is to paint a group of people. Each one should be a little different, and in total, there should be about six of them."

The brunet was both happy and sad at that. He was excited about painting a picture of multiple individuals all together, though he was nervous and slightly terrified that it had to be so many people. So far, he had only met one person, and that was Yamamoto.

He was sure that the sport's prodigy probably wouldn't mind being apart of his muse, but he still needed five other people. He doubted that Reborn would want to be apart of it, and the brunet didn't want to bother Fon with his schoolwork.

"Today we will be going out to the sports field so you can find one or two people. First you are to sketch a picture of a single person, and make it detailed. You'll do that with every person you choose to be in your painting, so you get a feel of drawing him or her. It should make it easier to paint them with a group of people," Mr. Dino replied, walking around the room while waving around a pencil.

In the process he knocked over a can of paintbrushes, resulting in them scattering across the floor. And when he tried to pick them up, somehow tripped on one, falling flat onto his face.

Laughter erupted in the classroom, people chuckling or giggling at their clumsy teacher. Though Tsuna had a slightly urge to join them, just to fit in, he wasn't that kind of person. He stood from his seat, helping up the blonde and asking if he was all right.

"Look at that, new kid is trying to suck up the teacher!"

"He must be trying to gain extra credit by helping."

Tsuna ignored the comments from his classmates, used to similar ones from his old school. Instead the brunet tried to focus on not slipping on one of the brushes, knowing that if he did his nickname would come to surface.

Though he did end up tripping, ending up the same as his teacher. His fellow students laughed and started up conversations about how the art prodigy and the teacher were similar in clumsy-ness.

And then someone said something that resulted in the spreading of that cursed nickname.

"Hey, Dame-Tsuna, you gonna mess up at sketching, too?"

Somehow, the brunet knew that his life at the school was going to be the same as his old one. What a pain.

* * *

**AN: **_Ok, so, here's the fifth chapter. Yamamoto has made an appearance! Yay! And Dino has appeared as well! Did I surprise anybody by making him the art teacher? Yes? No? _

_Thanks for all the ideas for the Guardian's talents, people. XD They helped me somewhat. I know what everyone's talent will be, and I can't wait to introduce them all. :3 _

_Tell me what you thought of the chapter! Was it good, bad? And I know the length is sadly short. (*head drops in disappointment*) I tried to make this chapter longer, but…I couldn't seem to get it very long. _

_Anyways, leave a review please!~ They give me inspiration!~_


	6. Just a Game

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Just a Game" (Chapter Six)__  
_

* * *

_Somehow, the brunet knew that his life at the school was going to be the same as his old one. What a pain_.

It had been almost a full week, and Tsuna still only had one person for his assignment in class. He was really glad that Yamamoto had agreed to be apart of his muse, because quite honestly, he was fun to draw. The sport prodigy was usually smiling, but the brunet would sometimes catch him looking serious at times, and would sketch the look silently. He would capture the side that most didn't see of the baseball star.

The two of them would meet up for lunch (Which was after fourth period, another class they didn't share) and talk while they ate their food. And afterwards, Yamamoto would move into a comfortable pose so the art prodigy could sketch him. He would be sitting or standing, smiling or grinning brightly. The brunet would try to draw him as quickly as possible without losing quality, so that the taller prodigy wouldn't become uncomfortable.

Tsuna always tried to apologize for taking up the baseball star's time, though the tall student would always smile and tell him not to worry about it. "After all, what are friends for, right?"

The mention of being friends was a foreign concept for the brunet. He had never actually had someone that could be called a friend. They were all acquaintances, people that would talk to him every now and then, though never really socialized with him. And then there were the bullies, who would simply tease and taunt him for their own entertainment.

Tsuna couldn't help but notice that when people started seeing him around the baseball star more often than not, the constant harassment died down to just his nickname. Though there were still a few people that would taunt and tease about him being useless, he didn't really care.

He had a friend, a real friend, and that made him happy. The art prodigy had realized, on the fourth day of school, that if Yamamoto hadn't become his friend, he might not have been the way he was. It was only a few days after his mother's passing, and he knew that if the sports prodigy wasn't there next to him, he would be lost.

He wouldn't have been able to cope with losing the one person that had cared for him. Tsuna admitted that he needed the happy-go-lucky sports fanatic, just someone to keep himself completely there. Just someone that could help him through the hard times.

And on the fifth night of that first week of school, the day right before the weekend, Friday, the brunet had found out that Yamamoto needed him, too.

* * *

Friday morning started out the same as everyday of that week, except his first. He had gotten out of the car, Fon waving goodbye as he walked to one of the other buildings, and as soon as the martial arts teacher was out of sight, ran like his life depended on it. And that was because his life did depend on it. Or, at least his arms did.

He had noticed quickly that when the bullies caught him in the mornings, that they would go for his arms, and that was because he was an art prodigy. Can't do art without arms, right? No, it wasn't necessarily true (Not that his brainless tormentors knew that.). Tsuna had known someone that could paint with his feet. But he couldn't, and the bullies seemed to know that.

"Hey, Dame-Tsuna," one of them sneered, grabbing the collar of his shirt as the brunet tried to run past them. He squirmed in his grasp desperately, trying to get away. He had enough bruises on his arms, and did not need anymore.

"W-what do you want," the art prodigy sighed out, not able to contain the stutter that stubbornly entered his voice. His stopped wiggling, instead going limp. The guy nearly choking him was a third year that was a prodigy in wrestling. Even if he used all his strength, he would never be able to get out of the guy's grasp.

The third-year apparently didn't have anything to actually say (Something the brunet suspected.), because he simply raised one of his fists, grinning cruelly. Tsuna closed his brown eyes tightly, waiting for the impact. It appeared that they were going to give him a full beating, considering that he managed to escape yesterday by some miracle.

He waited patiently for the beating to begin, knowing that if he just focused on other things that it would be over quicker. Or at least that's what it seemed like. But after a few moments of complete silence without a single punch or kick, Tsuna hesitantly opened one of his brown eyes...

Only to open the other as they widened in shock. The wrestling prodigy's fist was only an inch away from his face, having been stopped by someone. Amber eyes stared at them both, not looking exactly angry but definitely not as friendly as they usually did. The carefree smile was still plastered on his face, though it seemed a bit more evil than usual.

"Y-Yamamoto," Tsuna gasped in shock, mouth hanging open slightly.

The sports prodigy smiled kindly at him, "Hey, Tsuna! These guys were going to hurt you, right?"

The brunet gave a stiff nod, not likely the dangerous, malicious glint in the taller male's eyes once he did. Though it was comforting to know that it wasn't directed at him.

The third year, despite being bigger than the baseball star, shivered at the look he got, and let go of the art prodigy when Yamamoto tightened his grip on his arm. "Ow, ow, ow! What's your probably?! Let the hell go!"

"I don't like people hurting my friends," the sport prodigy growled out, and even though he was still smiling (How could someone be so dangerous-looking while smiling?), looked angry. And Tsuna realized that it was the first time he had seen Yamamoto mad.

The brunet didn't really remember all that happened after that, though he knew that the baseball star's angry side was definitely scary. He also knew that he never wanted to be at the receiving end of the sports prodigy's fist.

"Just tell me when you're being bullied," Yamamoto laughed out lightly, hands behind his head in a relaxed fashion. His white teeth were being shown as he grinned brightly, amber eyes closing as he did so. "I'll make sure they don't hurt you, 'kay?"

Tsuna blushed lightly, nodding his head. A part of him didn't like the idea of having to be protected, making him feel like a damsel in distress. Though the other part knew that he was indeed, in distress. Not a damsel, but definitely in distress.

The two first years walked in comfortable silence, and a smile slipped onto the brunet's face. He decided that he like the feeling of having someone that was his friend. He liked having someone stand next to him when in trouble, and to walk with to class. He really, really did.

"Hey, Tsuna," Yamamoto poked one of Tsuna's cheeks; grinning cheekily when he got the response he wanted. The small brunet jumped at the touch, blushing lightly as he tried to glare. "I have a baseball game tonight, wanna come?"

"A baseball game?"

"Yeah. It's an important one, though I'm sure that we'll win. But it'll be more fun if you're there."

"Hmm," the brunet hummed in thought. He wasn't one for sports. He wasn't good at them (Every time he'd either get hit in the head or in the spot that no man should be hit.), and he never found them all that exciting to watch. But it was Yamamoto; he could make an exception for that, right? "Yeah, I'll come. Reborn is out of town and I'm sure Fon will say its fine."

The sports prodigy grinned happily, "Cool!"

* * *

The game did not end the way Yamamoto had predicted. It was the opposite, actually.

The art prodigy watched the game from start to finish, completely shocked at the results. At the beginning, there were excited cheers from the people in the stands from NPGT, all excited for the three runs right from the start.

Though the other school cheered for the rest of the game. In the end, the score was 3-9, Namimori Private being the loser.

Tsuna sat in the stands afterwards, his and Yamamoto's selected meeting place (They were going to head to his house afterwards.), and waited patiently. Everyone that had been in the stands had left, each mumbling about the game.

"I can't believe we lost!"

"Yeah, what do you think happened?"

"Now that I think about it, Yamamoto hasn't been playing the same since they lost that one game last trimester…"

"Yeah, you're right."

"Wonder why."

The brunet blinked a few times when he heard that, not completely sure what to think of it. Though he stayed where he was, waiting for his friend. He thought about what he would make for dinner, wondering what the sports prodigy would want.

But when the baseball team left the stadium, and Yamamoto didn't come out with them, dread began to build up in his heart.

Tsuna couldn't comprehend everything that happened after he got up to look for the baseball star, he just knew that his legs were burning as he ran around campus, looking for him. He checked the locker rooms, the classrooms that Yamamoto had class in, everywhere he might be.

And finally, after searching what felt like the whole campus, Tsuna found himself on the roof. It was the only place he could think that his friend could be. The both of them would often come up here for lunch, just to get away from the crowds of people. It was the only place that they wouldn't be bothered while they talked.

The roof had a perfect view of the campus, something that the art prodigy appreciated. He had sketched it at times, wishing he could have been there during the early morning hours or at sunset.

But he didn't want to be there at the moment, despite the beautiful colors that mixed into the sky.

"Yamamoto," he whispered out, not wanting to startle the other. He didn't want the other to accidentally fall, not from this high up. Though it was obvious what the taller first year was planning exactly that, just not accidentally.

The sports prodigy didn't turn around from his spot at the ledge of the roof, though by how his back tensed at the sound of his name, Tsuna knew that the black-haired student had heard him.

"I let the team down," Yamamoto mumbled out, the usual carefree or happy-go-lucky tone he used gone. There was only blame and sorrow filled in his voice, something that the brunet didn't want to hear. Not from him.

The two of them were enveloped by the thick silence, not comfortable like the one from earlier that day. Tsuna's brown eyes never left the back of his friend, and if not in such a serious situation, he would have painted the scene.

"Its just a game," the brunet mumbled out after a while, taking a few cautious steps towards his friend. "Its not the end of the world."

"But I…"

"Lost one game, that's all. So get away from there, Yamamoto," Tsuna demanded, using a harsh but caring tone. He didn't allow the tears that had welled up in his eyes to fall, and instead blinked them back, knowing that he couldn't cry at the moment.

The sports prodigy turned around at the demand, never hearing the small brunet sound so…desperate before. His amber eyes were wide, holding all the negative emotions he always hid. One of Tsuna's hands reached out, pulling him away from the ledge before wrapping his arms around his friend's torso, trying to comfort him in a way.

"You can't leave me, 'kay? I need you, Yamamoto. You're…you're the only friend I've ever had, and I couldn't afford you to go away. You were the one that saved me, not only from the third year this morning, but also from myself. I wouldn't be here right now if you hadn't become my friend."

Tsuna felt his face burning as he let all his feelings flood out, feeling slightly embarrassed from his speech. But he knew that the sport's prodigy needed to hear his thoughts, everything that he had been feeling.

"I'll be here for you in your tough times, just like you're there for me, alright," the brunet sniffled, feeling uncomfortable when he didn't get a response. His gaze shifted up to his friend, seeing those amber eyes staring into space.

Yamamoto shook slightly, his eyes wide in shock. He had always been told that baseball wasn't just a game, that it was his future. And when he had lost that one game last trimester, he had been told that baseball was more important than anything, which he needed to take it more seriously.

_"Its just a game."_

His arms hesitantly came up, wrapping around the small body against him. He buried his face in the soft locks of brown hair, letting a small dust of pink shade his cheeks.

"I need you, too, Tsuna," he mumbled, tightening his hold, "I couldn't afford for you to leave, either. S-so, I'll stay as long as you do the same…don't leave me, all right? I don't want to lose a friend of mine…"

Tsuna blinked slightly, not believing his ears. A small smile graced his face, as he comprehended the words, a fluttery feeling enveloping him at the thought of being needed by someone else.

* * *

**AN: **_Gosh, I feel kind of uncomfortable...This chapter is so cheesy, and completely and utterly sappy. But, I wanted to play with the hurt/comfort factor. Why did I choose for it to be Yamamoto, though? Well, its because while watching the Anime, at times I thought that Yamamoto was deeper than they made him to be (And other times I thought he really was an oblivious idiot, though I still love him.). And I kind of wanted to convey that idea into this story. And my other reason is because I love the 8027 pairing. XD This isn't a romance story, but I like this kind of fluffy scene that didn't cross the boundary of friendship. _

_Anyways, I wanted to note that I will not be introducing the characters in the same order as the anime and manga did. If I were, I would have made Gokudera appear before Yamamoto. So, be prepared for the characters to come in at random times, because I'll put them in when I feel as though they fit into the story better. _

_Thank you for all the reviews, favorites, and follows so far! X3 I'm glad that all of you like/find this story interesting enough to do all those! _

_Please leave a review to tell me what you thought of the chapter! I'll try and upload again soon!_


	7. Protests

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Protests" (Chapter Seven)_

* * *

_…A fluttery feeling enveloping him at the thought of being needed by someone else_.

The weekend wasn't lonely like Tsuna was used to. Yamamoto kept him company for the two days off of school, leaving him only when he had to head back home. The sports prodigy had spent the night at the brunet's place on Friday, and the two first years spent Saturday hanging out at his house.

They played video games, ate, and Yamamoto even dragged his shorter friend out the safety of the indoors for a few hours. It was unusual to the art prodigy, though not un-welcomed. It was actually pleasant.

The sports prodigy didn't stay the night again, though he was there in the early hours of the morning (Which was eight thirty in Tsuna's mind) to wake up the brunet, using different tactics to get the smaller male out of bed.

In the end, Yamamoto simply plucked the art prodigy away from the comfortable sheets and pillows on his mattress and walked out of the room, placing him down in the living room. He smiled cheekily, completely ignoring the glare that Tsuna threw at him. Those large brown eyes were only narrowed for a few moments before he gave up on trying to hold a grudge.

Yamamoto laughed off the action, saying that watching the brunet sleep was cute but kind of boring. Tsuna protested a few times about him not being cute (Because in his head, he wasn't.), but the sports prodigy would disagree every time (Saying he was cute in a kitten kind of way.), and the brunet gave up after a while.

"Pfft, second time I've been compared to a kitten this month," Tsuna grumbled, heading up the stairs back up to his room to get dressed. "I am not cute…"

* * *

School was the same as ever, except Tsuna was only bullied through words. Though he could deal with that, words didn't cause him nearly as much pain as physical abuse. But Yamamoto didn't seem to like it, though with a word from the small brunet, simply ignored him as he did.

The brunet was glad that the sports prodigy listened to him, because the tall first year had already gotten a warning from the principal (Luce didn't expel him right away because he was defending Tsuna.) for beating up the third-year bully.

"You sure you don't care what they say," Yamamoto asked, hands in his pockets as they walked through the halls of the school. It was a free period that they shared together, and since they had finished their work (Which they most likely failed, considering they rushed through it.), decided to walk around the campus in boredom.

"Yeah," Tsuna replied a few seconds later, smiling up at the black-haired swordsmen, "I mean, I've already heard every insult they've thrown at me from my old classmates. It's unoriginal and I know that it's not all completely true."

The sports prodigy blinked a few times, amber eyes watching the small brunet in wonder, before giving his signature grin. "You sure have an interesting way of thinking!"

Tsuna blushed lightly at that, not sure whether to take it as a compliment or an insult. Though after a moment of thought, and considering whom it came from, the brunet took it as a compliment.

"T-thanks…I guess," he murmured quietly, smiling slightly.

"No problem," Yamamoto grinned, moving his arms behind his head to relax a bit. The two companions talked about random things (Mostly about plans for after school.) until the bell rang. They both sighed in disappointment and walked to one of their least favorite classes of the day. Science.

* * *

On Tuesday, Mr. Dino decided that they would head over to the media center instead of the sports field. And that was because: "Some people," he stated with a pointed look at the brunet, "Seem to only be focusing on one person."

The class snickered and laughed, knowing exactly whom the blonde klutz was talking about. Tsuna blushed slightly. It was one thing to get that from his classmates, but an entirely different thing when it came from your favorite teacher.

Though the art prodigy knew that Dino didn't mean anything bad about it. The blonde had taken him under his wing, in a way. He even told Tsuna to call him "Dino-nii" because the brunet had confessed that he saw the art teacher as an older brother figure. To state the obvious, Tsuna hadn't called him by the brother title.

"Dame-Tsuna," one of the students (The brunet couldn't remember any of their names. They were so alike that they kind of just blended together.) called over to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Tsuna immediately tried to pull away, never feeling comfortable when someone did that (Excluding Yamamoto, for obvious reasons.).

"Y-yeah," he asked nervously, already trembling in fear.

"What're you gonna do when we start painting? So far you've only got that loser baseball freak, and the requirement is at least six."

Tsuna stopped walking, making the student stumble a bit. His brown eyes narrowed in a glare, eyes turning icy cold at the insult towards his taller friend. It was ok if someone made fun of him, but even he, the timid brunet, wouldn't stand for someone insulting his friend.

"Yamamoto is not a loser," the art prodigy protested, ignoring as some of the other students stopped to stare at the show. Once a few minutes of astonished silence passed, Tsuna blinked a few times, the moment of calm anger passing on.

He blushed slightly, and the cursed stutter entered his voice once again, "H-He may have a few b-bad days, but everyone does-s. So d-don't talk badly about him!"

* * *

**AN:** _D'aww, isn't that adorable? Little Tsuna is sticking up for Yamamoto! XD _

_I'm sorry for the short chapter, but after this point, I couldn't really think of anything else to write unless forcing something out, which would turn out even worse than my regular writing._

_Anyway, I have two important things to say. One is that I edited chapter 1-3 (Or was it 1-4?), but nothing, ya'know, major was changed. I basically went back, added a few lines and fixed a few mistakes so there are less of 'em. The second thing I have to say is that on my profile I put the stories that I plan and hope on doing later on. If you're interested on seeing what I may write after "Life can Become Art" (Which isn't nearly over.), then go ahead an look at my profile._

_Please review!~ They give me inspiration!~_


	8. Capturing People in a Sketch

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Capturing People in a Sketch" (Chapter Eight)_

* * *

_"H-He may have a few b-bad days, but everyone does-s. So d-don't talk badly about him!"_

The silence and shocked faces Tsuna got in return of his outburst was nerve-wracking. Multiple sets of eyes stared at him as though he had grown a second head, and some of his fellow classmate's mouths were hanging wide open, almost like they were trying to see if they could catch any flies.

The small brunet squirmed slightly, unsure on what to do. Should he continue his speech, or run away before it was too late? Tsuna was leaning towards the second choice, feeling uncomfortable to talk with everyone staring him down.

His brown eyes shifted from side to side, mentally trying to figure the best way out. If he ran to the right, he would be able to escape into the media center and most likely hide in the library. He had been in there once; it was like a maze full of books! He was scared out of his mind, surrounded by all the shelves.

But it seemed like a better choice than going left, where more and more people kept piling up. He was sure that if he went that way, the swarm of terrifying people would swallow him. With that happy thought, the brunet dashed inside of the media center.

Tsuna knew that he must have seemed like a coward, but he couldn't stop himself. He didn't like to be the center of attention, and he really didn't like to be stared at like some freak-show. He was used to the 'you're completely useless' or 'you're an idiot' look, but not the 'what the freaking hell are you' one.

Instead of heading into the library like he had originally planned, the art prodigy went into a random room, closing the door with a loud slam. The brunet's back rested against the door, his chest heaving as he gulped down breath after breath. A small hysterical smile slipped onto his face as he allowed himself to slip down the door, sitting on the floor and listening to the footsteps beyond the door.

Once they were gone, most likely far down the hallways, he sighed out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Excuse me?"

Tsuna's head snapped up, his brown eyes landing on a girl. He blinked a few times, trying to register the person that was staring back at him with one large purple eye, the other being hidden by a black eye-patch. Her skin was pale, though not in an unhealthy style. Her hair was also purple, and was worn short in an unusual, pineapple shaped style.

The both of them continued to stare at each other in silence, Tsuna not knowing what to say. He blushed lightly, standing up and bowing in apology, stuttering out a few words of sorry for barging in.

"No, its ok," she replied, voice soft and gentle. A black camera was held in both of her hands, and with a quick glance around the room, the brunet deducted that he was in the Photography Club's room.

Tsuna couldn't help but sigh in relief at that. At least he hadn't run into the Disciplinary Committee's room. That would have been disastrous, and painful, with their reputation.

"What's your name," the brunet asked quietly, watching as the petite one-eyed girl continued on her work, searching through pictures on the camera she was holding.

"Chrome."

"That's a unique name," Tsuna muttered to himself, looking up at the ceiling in thought. It was different and sort of pretty. "My name is Tsuna, its nice to meet you."

Chrome nodded her head, looking up for a brief moment before returning her gaze to the photos. The calm yet concentrating look on her face was mesmerizing, making his fingers twitch in inspiration.

The brunet was supposed to be drawing anyways, so he took out his sketchbook, gripping a pencil in his dominant hand before turning back to her. Her one purple eye stared at him in mild curiosity, eyeing the supplies he held in his hands for a moment.

"C-Chrome-san-"

"Just call me Chrome," she interrupted immediately, not sounding rude or irritated, as most people would have.

"Ah, o-ok. Then, um, Chrome, I have an art project, and it requires me to sketch six pe-people separately before creating a painting with all of them together," he began, brown eyes looking at multiple things in the room, though never landing on her.

"I-I already have one person, but I was…wondering if I…could draw you, too?"

Chrome's purple eye blinked a couple of times, though she didn't immediately say 'no', which gave the brunet a bit of hope. They stood in silence for a couple of moments, the art prodigy waiting for either a negative or positive reply.

"Ok," she mumbled, setting down the camera onto the table. The purple-haired photographer walked around the table, stopping once she was standing a safe distance in front of him. "Is there a pose you'd like me to be in?"

Tsuna shook his head at the timid question, spiky brown locks swaying slightly at the action. "No, just stand or sit naturally."

Chrome nodded her head, going back around the table. She sat in the chair that was there, once again holding the camera, purple eyes looking over at him for a moment. He simply smiled, a sign that told her that it was fine.

"You can search through the pictures while I draw a quick sketch," Tsuna offered, taking a seat on one of the other chairs in the room. He got into a comfortable position next to the table, taking a glance at her before setting up the guidelines.

Neither one talked to one another as he sketched her, capturing Chrome's uniqueness. He drew a simple outline of her body, then went back and brought life to her face, drawing exactly what he saw.

Her one eye and the black eye-patch covering the other, her purple hair styled in a shape similar to a pineapple (He meant it in the best possible way. It was actually sort of cool.), the soft expression of concentration she wore on her face as she looked through the pictures.

"Done," he mumbled just as the bell that signaled the end of the period rang, standing up hastily. He flipped his sketchbook close and stuffed it into his bag with utmost care, then waved to her as he said his goodbye, "Thank you for being one of my inspirations! If you'd like to see the picture, come to the roof on the main building at lunch!"

With that, Tsuna dashed out of the room, missing the look of confusion on her face as he did so. His shoes squeaked slightly on the tiled floors as he rushed to his next class, feeling jittery at the thought of lunch.

If Chrome showed up, then he'd let himself believe that he had made another friend.

* * *

When Tsuna and Yamamoto met up for lunch, the brunet immediately confessed as to what happened during his first elective. The sports prodigy patted him on the back at the news, glad that his small friend had found another person for his project.

The art prodigy had started to stress at the realization that he was a whole week into the project, and only had one person, even though he enjoyed drawing the tall baseball fanatic.

The two of them made their way up to the roof, laughing and talking happily. When the cold metallic door leading to the roof opened, Tsuna's brown eyes widened in surprise. He blinked a few times, not believing the sight before him.

Chrome had apparently been waiting for a few minutes, because she had already set out her lunch and was eating silently, facing towards the door patiently. A riceball was held in her hand, two more in a container set by her side. A few pieces of rice were on the sides of her mouth, though she either didn't know or cared that they were there.

"Chrome," Tsuna said happily, a smile gracing his face. He took a few steps towards her, Yamamoto just behind him, "I'm glad that you came!"

"I had to," the quiet photographer replied, tilting her head up slightly to look at him, "I wanted to see the drawing."

The brunet nodded his head, fetching out his sketchpad from his bag and handing it over to her. One of Chrome's petite hands grasped the book gently, setting down her half-eaten riceball before opening it.

Her purple eyes scanned over the first few drawings as the art prodigy sat a comfortable distance from her, his taller friend sitting at his side with one of his easy-going smiles plastered on his face.

"These are nice," the one-eyed photographer complimented softly, looking over at the baseball star then back at one of the sketches of him. "They're almost like a picture."

"Really," Yamamoto mumbled, putting a piece of sushi in his mouth and chewing it, "Tsuna never lets me see the ones of me, so I wouldn't know. I've only seen the ones of scenery that he did."

The art prodigy blushed, glaring at his dark-haired friend lightly. "You've never seemed interested in seeing the ones of yourself," he protested.

"Well I am now," the sports prodigy grinned cheekily, taking the sketch book from Chrome's outstretched hand once she had seen her fill. He flipped through the pages, a small look of surprise appearing on his tan face after a few moments. His amber eyes widened slightly, and a wide smile spread across his face.

"These are really good! I knew you were good at nature and stuff, but I didn't know you were good at drawing people, too!"

"I practiced a lot," Tsuna confessed, eating the lunch Fon had prepared for him with gratitude, "My mom used to let me draw her all the time."

"Used to," Chrome mumbled, seeming a bit curious. The purple-haired photographer had been listening to their conversation with interest as she ate her lunch, and had noticed the past tense the brunet had used.

"She passed away a few weeks ago…"

"Oh."

Yamamoto looked up from the sketches, hand stopping in the middle of flipping a page, and turned his gaze over to his short friend. "You never mentioned anything about your mom passing."

Tsuna shrugged his shoulders, "I don't really want to talk about it, that's all. I would have told you eventually."

"I guess I should have guessed something along that line," the sports prodigy mumbled, "I mean, why else would you be staying with Reborn? Sheesh, sometimes I'm such an air head!"

Yamamoto laughed at himself, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. The brunet let a small smile spread onto his face, chuckling a few moments later. He appreciated how the sports prodigy always tried to lighten the mood when it got to be too serious. It was refreshing (And tiring at times.).

The three of them ate with small chitchat for the rest of lunch, Tsuna and Yamamoto the ones who were mainly talking with a few comments from Chrome. The art prodigy was glad that he had another friend that would eat lunch with him and the baseball star. It was even more interesting than before.

* * *

**AN:** _Chapter eight, yay!~ XD And Chrome has been introduced!~ Did anybody expect her to be thrown into the story so early? No? Yes? Why did I do that? Well, I can't say exactly why, but let's just say that I had an idea and I'm rolling with it. _

_Thank you for all of the ideas and comments in your reviews! And I can't believe how many favorites, follows, and reviews this story has already. O.O I'm extremely happy for how many people seem to enjoy this story. _

_x3 Please leave a review!~ They give me inspiration to write and upload chapters faster!~_


	9. Third-Year Rivalries

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Third-Year Rivalries" (Chapter Nine)_

* * *

_It was even more interesting than before_.

When Tsuna had though that having Chrome around would be interesting, he hadn't expected just how true that would be. His life became more complicated than before, and that was because along with the one-eyed photographer, he got a new acquaintance with pineapple shaped blue hair.

The brunet refused to call Chrome's older brother a friend because, quite honestly, they weren't.

Mukuro was a mysterious person that liked to mess with other human beings. He was a third year prodigy in special affects, and Tsuna knew first hand that the blue-haired student was good at what he did. He had always been weak at heart, being scared out of his mind by a simple Halloween trick. But what Mukuro did…it was like he was creating illusions.

Illusions of terrifying things that made the brunet's skin crawl just at the thought.

Though the special affects prodigy wasn't the only new acquaintance that came along. With the blue pineapple-haired student came yet another terrifying being.

Hibari Kyoya, leader of the Disciplinary Committee and martial arts prodigy, was not someone to be messed with. He was as scary as Mukuro, just in a different way. He was also a third-year, and had many of the same classes as the blue-haired prodigy. Though the two of them didn't get a long very well, always fighting each other the minute one entered the room.

It was kind of funny to the brunet, because he could tell that the two were completely in sync despite claiming to hate one another. But at times, mostly when the two took out their respective weapons (Hibari using tonfas, and Mukuro using a trident-type weapon, both hidden who knows where.) and clashed together in a heated fight, Tsuna would rethink of their relationship while shivering as he tried to disappear from the scene.

Like right now, for example.

The art prodigy currently had his back pressed against a wall, clutching the bricks and trying so desperately to become one with them. His brown eyes were wide in terror, flinching at the sound of metal clanking against metal. He let out a high-pitched screech every now and then when the weapons got too close, though other then that, he was quiet as he shivered in fear.

"Kufufufu, you're going to need to try harder than that to beat me, Hibari Kyoya," Mukuro chuckled, ducking just in time as one of the metallic objects sung at where his head had currently been in.

"Shut up," was the raven-haired third year's only reply, not raising his voice and keeping that cool attitude of his.

The two switched attacks one after another, the winner not becoming obvious, as it would have in most normal battles. Though Tsuna knew that this was definitely not a normal battle. If it were, he would have already left the scene unnoticed.

He had gotten caught up in the two's fights a number of times, and he learned from experience that you do not try to make an escape from the scene. Because then undoubtedly, you would be dragged into the battled, unnoticed by the two third years, and beaten to a pulp.

Hiiiieeeee! Tsuna mentally screeched, ducking when one of Hibari's tonfas came barreling towards him. He clutched his hands onto the top of his head, trying to protect the few brain-cells he had, shutting his brown eyes tightly. Someone, save me!

The brunet looked up for a moment, seeing the two charging towards each other for another attack from either side of him, he somehow ending up in the middle. While most would say that everything went into slow motion when your impending doom was charging towards you, it was quite the opposite for Tsuna.

Everything sped up. One second the two immensely powerful third-years were a few yards away, and the next they were only two-to-three feet from the cowering ball between them. And in a flash, the two of them were right beside him, bringing down the metallic weapons of death towards each other and, unknowingly, Tsuna, for the final attack.

And that was when the brunet's guardian angel appeared.

The bell that signaled class was starting.

Miraculously, the two third-years stopped just as their weapons were about to hit each other, and Tsuna in the process. The martial arts prodigy huffed in an annoyed fashion, straitening himself. He looked down at the first year, seeming to finally see him.

"Herbivore," Hibari scoffed, "Get to class before I bite you to death."

The art prodigy swallowed nervously, nodding his head quickly before flailing around until he somehow managed to get on his feet. He backed away a few steps, and nearly ran into the slightly annoyed Mukuro when he turned around quickly.

"S-Sorry," he apologized, never ceasing to stop moving. Once he got behind the nearby wall, Tsuna dashed towards his class, thankful that it was close by.

* * *

**AN: **_This is probably the shortest chapter, and I'm sorry for that, especially since I didn't update for over a week. I have excuses, though I know none of them will excuse me. XD Ironic much? Anyways, school has started for me, and it's my first year of High school, so I really need to focus on my work. That does not mean that I won't update and such. I'll find free-time, even if that means I have to stop talking to my friend RondineeLion(Which will make me sad 'cause I love talkin' to Ron-kun) (He writes for KHR!, too, and focuses on 8027. Check him out~)_

_Oh, another thing I will need to note is that I got a tablet. And now you're wondering how that applies to you, right? Well, my mom got it for me for my birthday to get me off of the main computer. It has its up and down sides. Its faster, but it's a pain to type on. XD So instead of just typing the chapters, I'll be writing them by hand then typing them on the main computer so I don't get grounded off of it. _

_One other thing before I stop: I have a poll up to decide what KHR! Story I'll publish after I get to chapter 15 of this story. Please vote~ And leave a review to this story!~ Go ahead and yell at me. XD Till next chapte, which, yes, will be longer, and yes, will have Hibari and Mukuro (Even though I'm scared that I'm gonna make them OOC O^Q)._


	10. The Carnivore and the Herbivore

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"The Carnivore and the Herbivore" (Chapter Ten)_

* * *

_Once he got behind the nearby wall, Tsuna dashed towards his class, thankful that it was close by._

The pencil in his hand shook slightly as the art prodigy finished his sketch, the adrenaline rush he felt while drawing gone as he signed the paper where he usually did. Those big brown eyes of his were wide in fear, and he looked over at his muse for the sketch, gulping a lump in his throat.

Tsuna stood up, ignoring his shaking legs and trying to leave the scene as quietly as possible. He didn't dare take his terror-filled eyes away from the sleeping carnivore under the largest tree on the school campus, knowing that if he did, the third year would wake up from his slumber.

He took a silent step back, then another. Once he got a safe distance away, the brunet slowly, so that he wouldn't trip over his own feet, began to turn around. His notebook was held tightly against his chest, almost painfully so, as he tried desperately not to flat out run away.

The art prodigy was a yard away from the terrifying being with the title of Disciplinary Committee Leader, and he let out a small, shaky sigh in happiness.

"_Do you know what happens to Herbivores that interrupt my sleep?"_

Tsuna's body went ridged at the words, tensing up painfully in terror. He began to shake, brown eyes wide and terrified as he turned around slowly. The black haired martial arts prodigy came into view, the one that had been very much asleep up until a minute ago, glaring down at him murderously.

"H-Hibari-san," the small brunet muttered out, voice shaking as he let the name slip from his lips. "U-Uh, I-I wa…was j-just-,"

"They're bitten to death," the dark-haired third-year answered his own question, completely ignoring what the art prodigy was trying to say.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tsuna saw something metallic shine in the direct sunlight, looking absolutely deadly, and painful, to the eye. The brunet let out his signature high-pitched screech, falling back onto his bum when he tried to take a step back from the tonfa-user.

"H-H-Hibari-san, please don't," the art prodigy begged, removing one hand from his sketch book to wave it in front of him in some indication for his higher-up to stop. In all honesty, Tsuna wasn't worried about himself (Maybe a little…) at the moment. No, he was worried about his drawings, his artwork.

If the Carnivore saw the sketches of himself (The one of him sleeping being the fourth one drawn of the raven.), then he would definitely destroy it. And Tsuna held no doubt that he would destroy the rest of his work in the process.

The drawings of Yamamoto, Chrome, and Mukuro. Even the few of his caretakers, Fon and Reborn, would be destroyed right before his eyes.

Tsuna couldn't allow that.

The art prodigy looked Hibari in the eyes, his own wide, though his gaze unwavering. He continued to shake in fear, but slowly he was able to stand on his unstable legs, knees knocking together as he clutched his precious pieces of art tightly against his clothed chest.

"Oh," the dark haired carnivore marveled, smirking a bit at the sight, "The herbivore is trying to look big by puffing out its fur, hmm?"

Tsuna blinked his large brown eyes in confusion for a moment, not sure whether he should take that as an insult or not. Though his eyes narrowed a bit after deciding it didn't matter.

"H-Hibari-san, I'm s-sorry that I woke you up. A-And I know that you want to," the brunet gulped, pausing his sentence that he was barely stuttering out. It took a moment for him to continue on, ignoring the voices in his head to quit while he could.

"I know you want to bite me to death, and I'll accept that. But I can't let you touch my notebook!"

The two students went silent, and for a moment Tsuna felt proud of himself. He had stood up to the third-year that terrified everyone; even most of the high-school students (Tsuna had found out that the campus was both a middle and high school.) were terrified to death and back by him.

Though his thoughts were interrupted and the foreign feeling of pride was diminished when he saw Hibari eye the notebook in his arms. The Shylark's face told that he had just noticed it, and Tsuna felt a feeling of dread tear itself into his system.

_Oh God, _the brunet thought as he began to panic mentally, unconsciously shaking his head in odd ways as he did so. _What did I just do! He didn't even know I had it! I brought it his freaking attention! What is wrong with me!?_

While he was mentally beating himself for being a complete and total numbskull, the martial art prodigy plucked the notebook out of the brunet's arms unnoticed, flipping though the pages filled with sketches rather peacefully. His dark eyes, which had curiosity shining lightly within them, scanned over the people, recognizing a few of them (The pineapple siblings), and paused for a moment once he reached a few of himself.

"Hiiieeee," Tsuna screeched, feeling his heart drop down to his numb feet, "Don't destroy them, Hibari-san! You can bite me to death all you want, just don't rip-"

The sound of paper tearing echoed inside of the burnet's ears, his heart feeling as though it had been torn apart. His eyes had been closed once he started to plea rather pathetically, and he dared not open them. Just the thought, the mental images he created within his mind, was enough to bring tears to his eyes.

"Herbivore," he heard the Shylark scuff. Something rectangular hit him in the chest softly, and on instinct he flailed around a bit before catching it within his hands.

The brunet's brown eyes blinked open at the contact, the tears that had formed in the orbs disappearing. His eyes widened, staring in shock at his notebook, seemingly unharmed. "H-huh?"

"Don't sketch me without permission anymore, or I'll bite you to death," the martial arts prodigy commanded, tucking what looked like a piece of paper into the black leather jacket that never left the raven's shoulders. "Just ask next time, Herbivore."

With that, the terrifying Disciplinary Committee Leader turned and left without saying another word, back to his regular self in an instant.

Tsuna blinked his eyes a few more times, unsure if what happened was real. Had he really gotten away from a mad Hibari without being bitten death? That was unheard of!

Once the shock of being unharmed left his rigid body, the art prodigy flipped through the pages of his notebook, stopping at the last sketch. It was the one he had done a few days ago of Chrome and Mukuro together, the drawing that was behind it torn out.

Tsuna's brown eyes once again blinked in surprise, looking up in the direction his upperclassmen had gone. _Did Hibari just…want the picture of him sleeping?_

* * *

**AN: **_I lied. I'm sorry. XD I said Mukuro would be in this chapter, but it was only Hibari who showed up... But I got an idea in my head and I rolled with it. On the upside, this chapter is slightly longer than the last one, so I didn't lie on that part! :D _

_I honestly don't know what the next chapter is gonna be about (I only planned up to chapter six. XD Oops?), or how long its gonna be, or anything about it, actually. I'll need to do more planning, soon, or else they'll probably be a lame ending...I already sort of know here I wanna go...sort of._

_On other news, my Poll is still up! Go vote, please. Um, I uploaded a new story. Its a KHR! one-shot, and is pretty short, but I like it. Oh, I have a Facebook page that RondineeLion and I share ( FanFictionersofAwesomeness), and if the link doesn't show up there inbetween the (), then its on my profile. _

_Alright, that's all I have to say. Please review! They give me motivation (Low review last chapter, which told me nobody really like it. :I), and make me happy. :) _


	11. Return to the Shared House

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Return to the Shared House" (Chapter Eleven)_

* * *

_Tsuna's brown eyes once again blinked in surprise, looking up in the direction his upperclassmen had gone._ Did Hibari just…want the picture of him sleeping?

Chapter Eleven:  
Return to the Shared House

The brunet knew that his fedora-wearing caretaker wasn't a normal writer; just meeting the different roommates that lived with the Spartan man was enough proof.

Fon was probably the most normal out of the three roomates the art prodigy had met so far. He was calm and collective, though had that sneaky side to him that reminded Tsuna of a fox. The martial arts teacher was kind, and would try to dispute arguments at school. A kind and brave person in Tsuna's eyes.

While the two of them didn't see each other around the campus very often (Tsuna being in the art program didn't leave too many encounters with the sports prodigy), though they would always see each other in the mornings and afternoons. And Tsuna enjoyed the mornings the most.

Because in the morning, Fon was just a parental figure, always making breakfast for the short brunet and asking how he slept. The smile would always be on his face when he looked at Tsuna, and if the art prodigy didn't have his head in the right place, he would sometimes see his mom standing there.

"_Good morning, Tsu-kun! Did you sleep well?"_

"Yeah, mom, I did," the first year had slipped one morning, giving that happy smile. Fon blinked at him, though looked away, letting the brunet figure out what he had said by himself.

It took Tsuna a minute, but when he realized what he'd called the Chinese man, his face went redder than a tomato. He shook his head rapidly, waving his arms out in front of him so fast that they disappeared for a few moments. Apology after apology left his mouth, his face growing warmer as the minutes went by.

"Don't worry about it," Fon replied simply, smiling down at the art prodigy. He put down another pancake for the teenager, never looking irritated that he was the one to always cook.

"Do you miss your mom, Tsuna," the martial arts teacher asked a few moments later, once again at the oven, watching as the pancake mix began to slowly cook. His dark eyes averted their gaze to stared at the brunet from the side, waiting for a reaction or reply.

The art prodigy swallowed a bite of the fluffy pancake, leaving the fork in his mouth as he though over a reply. He didn't want to sound like a whiny brat that missed his mom. It had been what, three weeks, almost a full month since his mother's passing? And still he felt like completely breaking down to tears at the mention of her.

"Yeah," he muttered quietly, his brown eyes clouded as he thought over all the years he spent with her. He felt a tugging sensation in his chest, knowing that the sadness was trying to tear his heart apart.

But if he allowed it to, then his mind would be the next thing to go. The fragile wall of sanity that was as delicate as glass would completely shatter, leaving him as emotionless as he wanted to be at certain times. But he wouldn't let that happen. He had made a promise to himself, and silently to them, that he'd be there completely with his friends till the end.

_Yamamoto. Chrome. They need you, Tsuna._

"But I don't feel as sad as I did before," he said after a few minutes of consideration, taking the cup of hot tea in both hands. A small smile graced his face as he lifted the cup to his lips, pausing a moment before take a sip.

Fon smiled from his spot at the oven, looking over his red-clothed shoulder before turning his observant gaze back to the oven top. The smile didn't leave either of their faces for most of that day, even when Reborn came home from his trip to Italy.

* * *

It was three days later that another one of Tsuna's caretaker's roommates came back to the shared house. It was once again morning, though this time, Fon wasn't cooking breakfast. He had to leave early for a teacher's meeting at the school. Tsuna felt sorry for the poor guy, having to go to work on a weekend.

And he felt sorry for himself as well, because Reborn didn't seem all that friendly that morning. He sat calmly in his usual seat at the end of the table; the one closest to the counter that his coffee maker was located, sipping on a cup of strongly brewed coffee.

Most normal people would have seen him as no threat at all. Simply a good looking guy that got the attention of woman very often, maybe a little smug with himself. He wore his usual yellow button up shirt, though the black tie that was usually present was gone. Black pants covered his long legs, and only a pair of white socks covered his feet.

Casual Reborn that only ever showed himself in the mornings when he didn't care how he looked. And usually, this was the time that Tsuna felt most relaxed around the man.

But not that morning.

As he had said, only _normal _people, people that didn't know Reborn like the art prodigy and Fon did, would think that he was no threat. But Tsuna could see the bit of malice in those dark eyes, the slight twitch of fingers like he wanted to strangle whatever he could get his hands on.

It was clear that the writer had been up late, most likely writing paragraph after paragraph for the newest novel he was working on. And when Reborn was up late, that meant torture for everyone around him. At least until he had his third cup of coffee.

And he was almost there. Tsuna was almost in the clear. Almost safe from being brutally beaten to a pulp, only inches from death. So close…

His caretaker made his third cup, immediately going back to his seat once he was satisfied with the light brown color. The chair's cushion squished down at the weight of the dark-haired man, having just risen back up to it usual plump self.

Reborn lifted his cup up to his lips, just about to take that first sip that would make the art prodigy relax. As soon as that first sip was taken, he would be able to finally breath without the fear of being punched for doing so.

And that was when one of the roommates decided to barge into the kitchen to announce his return.

Colonello had gotten in the late the night before, and had immediately gone to sleep, leaving the heavy lifting of his bags to the brunet. The blonde was usually quite cheerful, from what Tsuna had heard from Fon, but could be strict at times.

Those light blue eyes gleamed with happiness, most likely from being home, and a bright grin was placed on his face, almost reminding Tsuna of his baseball fanatic friend.

"Morning, kora," Colonello yelled, stretching his arms high up above his head.

Tsuna's heart dropped at the loud noise. Didn't the blonde, someone that had been around Reborn longer than he had, know that you did _not _make any loud noise before the first sip of the writer's third cup of coffee?

"So you're home," Reborn stated, standing up from his seat. The cup of coffee had been placed down onto the table, steam rolling off from the light brown liquid full of caffeine. The dark aura that surrounded the raven-haired man when he was angry rolled off of him in waves, likely to drown anyone that got too close to the wisps of shadows.

Colonello paled slightly (Such a small difference that Tsuna almost didn't notice it.), and his grin wavered just the tiniest of a fraction. Those blue eyes didn't seem as bright as before, most likely locking away his emotions so no one could read his thoughts, a trick the brunet wanted to learn.

It would make his life easier if people (Reborn) couldn't read him so easily and know immediately how to torture him.

The art prodigy knew what was about to happen. He quickly got up, making his escape quick. As he walked down the hallway silently, he heard the blonde say a few words to try and calm the dark-haired writer.

He reached the end of the hallway just as the front door with the beautiful stained glass window that still captured his attention opened. In stepped Fon, looking a bit tired and worn out.

His dark eyes observed the brunet, taking in the pale and nervous complexion. He had an idea of why, Tsuna could see it in his expression, and it was proved true when a crash was heard from the kitchen.

"_H-hey, Reborn! C'mon, don't be so harsh, kora!"_

"_You know what happens when you're loud in the morning, damn it. I'm not giving you any mercy, you complete and utter idiot."_

Fon sighed, closing the door to the outside world. Tsuna looked back at the way he had came for a moment, slightly intrigued to go back. He had seen Reborn irritated before, but he never got a good look at him when he was. Mostly because he ended up on the ground in petrifying pain when the writer was annoyed to this point.

He wanted to draw it. See it; capture the moment that the dark-haired man wasn't angry with him but someone else.

But then a rather loud scream resounded through the entire house, most likely heard from a mile away, and Tsuna jumped. He moved quickly up the stairs, watching Fon carefully and quietly trek his way to the kitchen, looking hesitant.

That day was spent in the hospital. And Tsuna made another note not to be loud when Reborn hadn't gotten enough sleep, making a total of five. Five of the same exact note, warning anyone that read the notes that he was very, very, very serious about it.

* * *

One full month after he had lost his mother, Tsuna met another interesting person. Another one of Reborn, Fon, and Colonello's roommates.

It was after school, the Friday of the week. Yamamoto had come over, grinning brightly at being able to spend time with the brunet after school hours. They would be able to talk more than usual, because he would be staying till Monday, then would head home after baseball practice.

Which meant two full days of the art prodigy's company without teachers, other students, or anyone. The baseball star was excited for that. He knew it was selfish but he really did like having Tsuna all to himself.

Neither of them expected the greeting they got.

"_You," _someone said in a low voice, filled with malice and hate.

Tsuna felt a chill go down his spine at the presence he felt. He almost expected a certain blue haired third-year to show up for a moment. But then he felt the slight difference in the presence, not feeling that cunning and slightly arrogant piece in the aura. Not to mention the voice was different.

The brunet's gaze looked at the person walking down the steps of the stairs, having not seen them before.

They wore a black cloak with a hood that hid their face from the eyes up, revealing the two purple triangles that were located right underneath them. The pale skin was greatly contrasted against the black fabric and the purple strands of hair that framed their face.

Tsuna didn't want to be rude, but he honestly couldn't tell if the person in front of him was a guy or a girl. The cloak hid the body down to the knees, where it revealed part of the black tight fitting pants and mid-calf high boots.

A pale hand was pointing the index finger at him accusingly, and the face was twisted in a sneer.

"You're the one raising the bills in this household," the person said, raising their voice slightly to make their point clear.

"H-huh," Tsuna asked, pointing at himself. Confusion weaved across his face, and in that moment his brown eyes flickered towards the baseball fanatic standing next to him.

Yamamoto shrugged his shoulders at the look he received, not knowing what to think of the situation either, but the grin was still ever present on his face.

"Mammon," Fon sighed, having come in a minute after the two teenagers. His black eyes looked at the person he had just named, something in those dark orbs flickering for a moment before being hidden away, locked somewhere deep inside him. "Don't accuse Tsuna of anything. Its fine, both Reborn and I have approved of him being here, and in return his father has agreed to pay for his room, food, and school tuition, as well as the money for his transportation."

"Hmph," Mammon huffed grudgingly, the slight blush that had appeared on their face at the sight of the martial arts instructor gone as though it had never existed. "That's not what Reborn told me…never mind. Forget I said anything. As long as he's being paid for, I don't care."

With that, the cloaked person walked back up the stairs, still giving off the feeling of being angry. Tsuna sighed gratefully, though, glad that the anger wasn't directed at him anymore.

"I'm sorry for his behavior," Fon mumbled, gaze staying on the spot that Mammon had been a moment earlier for a moment longer. "He has an…obsession with money, I suppose you could say."

"I guess that would explain what he said," Yamamoto grinned easily, raising his arms to put them behind his head as he relaxed. His amber eyes closed as he did so, making Tsuna relax without either prodigy realizing.

Then realization hit the brunet, and his brown eyes snapped over to Fon as the question left his lips.

"Wait, you mean Mammon is a _guy?_"

* * *

**AN: **_Slightly longer chapter with two more characters introduced. And oh, the pairings that are hinted in this chapter: F27 (Parental, but there), 8027 (Should be sort of obvious), and one of my new favorites, FonxMammon/Viper, which is very much hinted at the end. XD I had to incorporate the last one because, well, I really like the last one. Oh, by the way, sorry Mukuro isn't in this one... Just kind of got an idea and before I knew it, poof! It was typed up._

_Ok, news!~ I got quite a few reviews last chapter, and some made my heart sing with joy, others made me think of things in a new perspective (sort of), and one made my blood run cold. Do all of you think that I REALLY need a beta reader? Is my writing that bad that it has to have someone else read over it to be decent? Or do I need one just to touch things up a bit? _

_(*sniffles*) Anyways (*steadies*), the poll on my profile is still up! It will be up until two days after the 15th chapter is posted, then I shall either say in the 16th chapter or on my profile the results. Please vote! You can choose up to two options. You can choose a story or you can click the 'don't upload another story right now' option, as well. So far "People Like Us" is in the lead. _

_Ok, review! Tell me what you think of the chapter and if I should get a beta reader (And WHY I need a beta reader. Just wanna know.). Oh, and go ahead and ask three questions about the story! I'll answer the ones that I can in the next author's note of the next chapter! But only three questions per review, please!_


	12. Breaking the Wall?

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Breaking the Wall?" (Chapter Twelve)_

* * *

"_Wait, you mean Mammon is a_ guy?"

Tsuna watched the tall sports prodigy put down his bag on the brunet's bed, those amber eyes observing his surrounding more so than usual. It wasn't the baseball star's first time in the art prodigy's room, but they had never been in it very long.

And Yamamoto was mostly trying to get the shorter out of bed and out into the world. What was most important was Tsuna in those times. He didn't pry for any information about the room, not asking why it lacked the sight of the first year's sketches and paintings.

But he could now. Amber orbs met hazelnut brown ones, neither gaze shifting from the other's even minutes later. A small smile graced both of their faces, twisting the atmosphere into the usual calm and relaxing one. Only an atmosphere that two broken companions that depended on one another could feel around them.

"You'll be sleeping on my bed," Tsuna noted, blushing slightly as he moved around his room, putting things away or shifting them in their current spot along his way to the closet.

"No, that's ok," Yamamoto kindly rejected the offer, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly; "I brought a sleeping bag with me. I can sleep on that. Or on the couch in the living room, if it's more convenient."

The brunet shook his head furiously, his eyes squinting slightly in a playful but completely serious glare that backfired, looking more like a cute pout. "No, my mom always said that it's only polite to offer the best to a guest. So you can use my bed. I'll sleep on the futon or couch."

The baseball star slumped slightly, an expression of mild surprise (And delight, though very light.) crossing his face. He never thought that he'd end up in an argument with the art prodigy, and he had secretly hoped it would never happen. But an occasional argument was good in a relationship, right?

Uncharacteristically, a blush dusted the sports prodigy's face at the thought. It was light, not very noticeable on his tan skin, but still there. And with Tsuna's observant, detail catching eyes, he knew it would be found out.

But Yamamoto couldn't help it! He just referred to the brunet's and his friendship as a relationship. He didn't think of the short teenager in _that_ sort of way. Maybe like a little brother that was cute and fun to tease, but not the _other_ way.

"Hmm? Yamamoto, are you ok," Tsuna asked, stepping a bit closer to his taller friend. His slightly pudgy (In a good way. It complimented him) face got closer to the baseball fanatic's, a slight look of adorable concern etched into his expression.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," the sports prodigy replied, face getting a bit redder before he finally got himself under control. Though a slightly tugging feeling in his chest made him wonder about something. Something that had been bugging him for quite a while.

"That's good," Tsuna smiled brightly, tilting his head slightly to the side in a cute manner. "If something happened to Yamamoto, I don't know what I'd do."

The tan first year didn't reply immediately afterwards. His amber eyes kept their unwavering gaze on the small brunet before him, determined to bring his idea to life. "Same with you, Tsuna. I think I'd end up in a mental hospital if you left me, but…"

"But," the art prodigy repeated, confused slightly.

"But, if Tsuna really doesn't know what he'd do if something happened to me," Yamamoto paused, gaining dramatic effect without really trying, "Then why doesn't he call me by my given name?"

A bright red blush spread across the shorter student's cheeks, having not expected such a question. "U-uh," Tsuna stuttered, feeling embarrassed, nervous, and happy all at the same time. Why did his heart flutter slightly? Was it because Yamamoto wanted him to use his first name, the one given to him?

"Are you scared to get too close?"

Those brown eyes widened, their gaze currently looking down at the carpeted floor, the different patterns that only he seemed to see filling his vision. He looked up slowly, and as soon as their eyes connected, he couldn't look away.

"Tsuna lost his mother," the baseball star continued, "The one person he let close, right? Then are you scared to get close to another human being because you think the pain will be unbearable if you lost them?"

The art prodigy's mouth went dry, eyes shadowed from his chestnut brown locks, not giving away his feelings. His expression was unreadable, too many mixed emotions swirling into it. His mouth was slightly parted as he listened to every word spoken.

"But aren't you scared that if you don't let anyone past your heart's walls, that you'll be worse off?"

"Yamamoto…"

"Tsuna should let people into his heart, even if the risk is great. You only live once. You should know that. I know that, too. That's why I finally allowed myself get attached to someone."

"Yamamoto…"

"Tsuna is like another part of me that I let in, that I accepted. A good part, and I want Tsuna to call me by my given name, because with you just calling me Yamamoto, it seems less personal, as though you're trying to keep your distance."

A blinding smile crossed the baseball star's face, seeing the conflicting thoughts in his shorter friend's expression. It was clear that he had hit some sort of nerve, and his smile turned a bit sad and depressed at the realization.

"Sorry. Forget I said anything, Tsuna. You're my cute little brother figure," Yamamoto grinned, wrapping one of his arms around the brunet's neck like the first time they had met, "Now, lets go down stairs! I want to meet the newcomers you keep mentioning!"

* * *

**AN: **_8027 fluff. :3 And about the other hinted pairings (FonxMammon, to be exact), none of them will become an actual pairing if they're yaoi or yuri, 'cause I can't write that stuff anymore. And I'll try to hint away at the pairings most like and keep the hinting to a minimum for the ones not so popular. Also, chapter thirteen is already in the process of being written (Yay~).The beginning was the scene after this, but I made it into two different chapters 'cause I couldn't write anymore and I wanted to get this chapter out._

_Ok, question time~ I only got a few, but that's ok. I'll try to answer them to the best of my abilities without giving away anything!_

_**SkyTuna7227**: I'm sure you didn't mean for this to be a question for me to actually answer in the AN, but I will anyways. XD Yes, I will try to keep FonxMammon hinting light. I know its not the most popular pairing, so yeah._

_**Guest: CupcakeAttack**: Tsuna still has the painted picture of Nana, its stored in his closet. Also, you didn't ask this, but I feel the need to comment to it: How do you know that Verde is the one that lives in the basement? (*raises eyebrow teasingly*) It could be where Reborn keeps the corpses of his victims..._

_Ok, that's pretty much it. Send in questions (Three per review!) and they shall be answered~ And vote on the poll, please! Only three more chapters till I take it down! And review! I love getting feed back from everyone. :3_


	13. Mashed Potato War

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Mashed Potato War" (Chapter Thirteen)_

* * *

"_Now, lets go down stairs! I want to meet the newcomers you keep mentioning!"_

Tsuna twitched slightly, feeling the negative and murderous aura of the hooded magician across the table from him, the glare hidden under the hood apparent just from the body language.

Mammon didn't seem to like the brunet, and honestly, the art prodigy didn't know why. Was it because he thought that Mammon was a girl for a minute? Or was it because he was raising the bills in the household?

Tsuna went with the latter, because the magician didn't seem like a petty type of person. Maybe a little bit, but…

"Stop glaring," Reborn commanded the short male that, for once, wasn't the brunet. "You're showing your pathetic, pitiful self, Mammon." Those dark as night eyes stared over at the purple-haired magician, not angry but more teasingly, a small spark of entertainment shining brightly.

_Expected from him, _Tsuna thought, inching a bit away from the Spartan man, _That's Reborn's way of teasing: by completely insulting someone._

"Shut up," Mammon yelled, teeth gritting together in frustration. "You're the one that told me that he was putting us in debt! You knew that I would get angry with that! Damn you, Reborn, why do you always have to mess with people?"

The writer looked over at the other emotionlessly, the blank expression seeming to mock the other. His shoulders shrugged, not giving an answer to the loudly asked question.

"Calm down, you two," Fon stated softly, sighing as two glares were pointed towards him. His dark eyes looked over the two in slight concern and annoyance, and the small smile that had appeared on his face wavered slightly.

"You're acting like children, kora," Colonello agreed, his mouth full of food. His words came out slurred, almost un-comprehendible.

Something from the end of the table wheezed past the rest of the table occupant's heads, hitting the blonde in the middle of the forehead. The fake plastic bullet bounced off of the soldier's (Tsuna had found out that Colonello was in the Military while the blonde was in the hospital) face, landing gently onto the table with a slightly bounce.

Everyone, excluding the startled blonde, turned their heads simultaneously towards the attacker. A shiver ran down the two teenager's backs at the murderous glare pointed towards the victim. That same dark aura surrounded the dark-haired writer, making his two non-injured roommates mumble a few words under their breath.

"Swallow before talking," Reborn growled, tucking away his plastic-bullet shooting gun. When his hand reappeared from his inside jacket pocket, the real one (That, once upon a time, was aimed at Tsuna's head) he always carried around was clenched tightly.

Colonello touched his aching forehead, glaring at the dark-haired writer. His teeth were clenched tightly together, most likely his attempt at trying to hold his tongue. Though the soldier was angry, and when he was angry he did stupid, and usually violent, things.

Reborn had gone back to eating peacefully, not expecting the idiotic blonde to do anything. He let down his guard uncharacteristically, and in that instant, something warm and mushy hit him in the face. The dark-haired man identified the substance as mashed potatoes from the texture and color.

The blonde at the other end of the table laughed hysterically, tears comically falling from his eyes as he clutched his abdomen, a spoon still in his hand. "Haha, you deserved that, Rebor-"

_Splat! _

Mashed potato war was officially declared at the counterattack from Reborn, who had done the same thing to the blonde. A childish but murderous grin spread crossed his face as he stood from his chair., cocking his gun as he did so.

As Fon tried to calm the two down, the small brunet tugged at the baseball fanatic's shirtsleeve. He motioned his head to the hallway, and Yamamoto nodded his head in understanding. The two of them stood up slowly as the chaos continued to grew, the taller one sneaking away into the hall.

Tsuna, on the other hand, went over and clutched the petrified magician's cloak, pulling the older male out of the room just as the real war began.

"_Damn you, Colonello! You got mashed potatoes on my suit!"_

"_Yeah, well you got it on my bandana first!"_

"_C-Calm down you tw-"_

Fon's voice was silenced as the other two growled at each other, yelling gaining extra ten notches in volume. The brunet didn't dare think of what happened to the martial arts instructor, though he had a strange, cartoon-ish picture of what was happing.

Mashed potatoes flying in the air, Reborn shooting them from his gun while Colonello simply throwing them with his hands, like the barbarian the writer thought he was. Yes, the art prodigy would need to draw that. It was just too good of an image to give up.

"Oh, you grabbed him," Yamamoto commented, the grin on his face a little forced. Crashing and gunshot sounds resounded within the house, and the brunet thought of what the neighbors were thinking of the situation.

"Y-yeah," Tsuna replied a little shaky, brown eyes darting back the way he came a few times. He wanted to go back and get Fon, who was most likely stuck in the conflict. But he really didn't want to get hit by mashed potatoes…

But the Chinese man had always been so kind to him, so he let go of Mammon, who had come back to reality, and slowly made his way back to the kitchen. Once he got to the end of the hallway, he looked into the kitchen, his head just peeking out from behind the wall…

And then he was hit.

Mashed potatoes hit him square in the face, the momentum behind the attack sending him flying into the wall behind him. His back hit the hard surface, pain enveloping it for a moment before he went numb.

His vision was covered in white for a moment, and then black washed over him.

* * *

When Tsuna woke up, the first thing he noticed was the stinging pain from both his face and back, the latter being worse than the other. He let out a hiss of pain as he shifted in his bed (How had he gotten there?), and then memories flooded back.

The brunet felt exhausted in that moment, shivering at his new fear. "I will never be able to eat mashed potatoes again," he mumbled to himself, sighing shakily.

"I guessed it!"

Tsuna turned his gaze to the door, seeing the bright and cheery sports prodigy standing in the doorway. The tall first year came all the way into the room, closing the door behind him, before tugging the desk chair the art prodigy had and sitting in it next to the bed.

"Guessed what," the brunet asked curiously, never tearing his gaze away from his friend.

Yamamoto smiled at him, amber eyes closing as usual, "I guessed that Tsuna wouldn't eat mashed potatoes ever again!"

A shiver ran down the brunet's back. "Would you eat them after what happened?"

"Nope. That's why I figured Tsuna wouldn't."

"Really?"

"Yep!"

Tsuna blinked a few times, never ceasing to be amazed at how cheerful and happy-go-lucky his baseball fanatic friend always was. A small smile graced his face for a moment, and then disappeared almost immediately.

"Hey, Yamamoto?"

"Yeah?"

"I'd l-like to…um, I-I'd…like t-to call-l Y-Yamamoto by his given name," the art prodigy stuttered out, blushing slightly but not averting his gaze.

"Then go ahead," the baseball star grinned in anticipation.

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me!"

"But really," Tsuna smiled, "Thank you."

* * *

**AN: **_Ending absolutely sucks and was rushed. Mom told me to get off, so I rushed it...I can always fix it later, though._

_Ok, immediately to questions!_

_**LadyInRedz**: Yes, I do plan on bringing in the Varia eventually. :3_

_**laffup**: I have an idea kind of along those lines, but I don't know if I'll incorporate it with this fic. So no, Tsuna won't be going into HDW mode. Nope.~ No baby Arcobaleno. This is sort of a normal-AU story... Tsuna will eventually get there, I guess. (*looks up in thought*)_

_**Guest**: I updated the day after. :3 Was that fast enough?_

_ Ok, that's all the questions. XD If I missed one, PM and I'll answer it. Anyways, review and vote on the poll, please!~~~ :3_


	14. Comfort

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Comfort" (Chapter Fourteen)_

* * *

"_But really," Tsuna smiled, "Thank you."_

"Finished," Tsuna grinned brightly, brown eyes sparkling as he stared down at his sketchpad. His face had brightened immediately after completing the outline of his two caretakers and their childish war of mashed potatoes.

The brunet was sitting on his bed, back rested comfortably against the pillow-cushioned backboard. His knees were bent to create a semi-solid surface to set the back of sketchpad against. A mechanical pencil was in his hand, one with shading led. The light led pencil he used to draw the outline was next to him, somewhat buried under the blankets.

"Oh, already," his tall friend stated a bit astonished, lifting his amber eyes from the baseball magazine he had been looking through. He was currently sitting at the art prodigy's desk, the blue pillow he brought with him behind him. "You were really picky with that one. I figured you'd take longer."

Tsuna shook his head, the smile still not disappearing from his face. The brunet radiated with happiness, nearly glowing in the light of completing his cartoon-ish war scene. Flowers seemed to appear around him, spinning around and around, making Yamamoto's head spin along with them.

"C'mon, look, look," the art prodigy yelled excitedly. He practically shoved the pad of paper into the black-haired student's face, though didn't really notice, or care. He just knew that he wanted the tan first year to see the picture, to tell him what he thought of it. "I want Takeshi to tell me what he thinks of it!"

A bright blush spread across the brunet's face like a wild fire at the usage of his friend's given name, though he ignored the fluttery, nervous feeling that settled into his stomach. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could ruin his mood at the moment. That is, unless, the sports prodigy disliked his sketch.

As those amber eyes studied the art piece carefully, Tsuna's nerves began to eat away at him, making him want to bite at his fingernails till there was nothing left to chew. Minutes of complete silence seemed like hours, and then finally, Takeshi handed the pad of paper back to its owner.

"It would be better in color," the baseball star commented truthfully, the grin on his face seeming a bit uneasy. He watched as the sparkle of happiness in those big brown eyes dimmed. And then when the tears started to well in those eyes…It was like he had kicked a puppy, but much, much worse, because he had hurt his cute little brother figure.

"U-Uh, I'm sorry-ry, Tsuna! I didn't m-mean to-"

A giggle from the one that had just started to cry interrupted Takeshi's apology, making the first year lift his head up in curiosity. His dark eyebrows were knitted together in confusion and worry as he looked at the small brunet for answers.

"You're right," the art prodigy smiled a bit sadly, though that didn't stop his voice to rise slightly in what sounded like glee. "It would be better in color! How could I not realize that?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of the baseball fanatic's lips, and his eyes softened at the sight of his cute little brother figure's grateful look.

"Could you get the pastels from the closet for me, Takeshi," the brunet asked in an excited voice. A slight blush covered his face, the bright shine in his eyes returning even brighter. "Or, or maybe I should use pencils? Or I could even paint it onto a canvas?"

Takeshi, who had been ignoring the rest of what his shorter friend had been saying, reached the closet like he was asked. He opened up the double doors, expecting to see a big clutter of boxes and clothes and such (Tsuna was just as messy as himself, if not more.), though was surprised at the tidiness. There was a light orange dresser with three drawers, and larger dresser next to it, with much bigger drawers.

Next to the shorter dresser was Tsuna's school uniform, hanging up nice and neat, which was completely expected but unexpected at the same time. Though if Reborn had threatened the brunet, then Yamamoto guessed why the first year followed those directions.

The baseball fanatic's amber eyes were drawn downwards to something that hit his leg, noting that it was a canvas that had been painted on. The back of it had hit his leg, and from the angle Takeshi was looking at it, he could see the small variety of colors.

Tsuna was still talking away about what he should do to add color to his mashed potato war scene, completely oblivious to his taller friend. Though when he glanced over at the sports prodigy, his brown eyes widened in slight fear.

All of the lively energy left him, making him feel completely exhausted. His brown eyes turned dull and lifeless, just as they had been on the day the painting was created. His face was turned into an emotionless mask, and the brunet's arms went limp at his sides.

"Hey, Tsuna," Takeshi called back, having not noticed the depressing aura surrounding the shorter first year behind him. He lifted up the canvas gently in his hands, turning it to look at the painting.

His amber eyes scanned over the picture, noticing that the woman that was obviously the muse resembled the brunet behind him. She was breathtakingly beautiful, radiating childish but motherly charm even from within the style painting of her expressionless face. The highlights of her hair made everything timeless and eternal, as well as the dark leaves stuck in the air.

"Is this," Takeshi asked, turning around with the painting still in hand. His amber eyes widened at the sight of his friend, seeing those wide, lifeless eyes. His heart clenched at the sight, not wanting to see the small brunet that way. "Tsuna, are you-"

"Put it away."

"H-huh," the baseball idol stuttered, surprised by the cold and demanding tone of voice.

"Put it away," Tsuna stated again, a glare on his face. But it wasn't directed at Yamamoto, no, it was aimed at the painting in his hands. "Put the painting away, Takeshi."

"But Tsuna-"

"I said put the painting away," the brunet yelled, hands clenched tightly into fists at his sides. His brown bangs covered his eyes, illuminating them with a dark shadow. His lips were shut tightly together, not letting anything slip out.

Takeshi blinked his eyes, surprised beyond belief that the small brunet had yelled. Not just raise his voice, but literally yell. He set the painting between the wall and dress, facing the picture to the dresser. His amber eyes looked over at the art prodigy, seeing him shaking. Out of anger or something else, he didn't know.

"I-I'm sorry, Takeshi," Tsuna stuttered out a few minutes later, eyes still shadowed from the chestnut brown locks that fell into his face. "I just-"

"I get it."

The brunet lifted up his head, not expecting the baseball star to say such a thing. His brown eyes were wide with tears framing the rims, threatening to spill over at any given moment. His eyes brows were knitted together in confusion as he stared at the taller student across from him.

"My mom died when I was little," Takeshi explained, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. His amber eyes wouldn't meet the art prodigy's, and the small smile on his tan face seemed strained. "So I can't really remember her, though it's still hard to think about her. So, I understand Tsuna's feelings, to some extent."

The sad smile on the sports prodigy's face was replaced by a grin that showed all of his white teeth, blinding Tsuna for a moment at the pure happiness radiating from it.

He didn't get it. How could he be so happy, talking about his own deceased mother right after talking about her? Shouldn't he be sad? Weeping, even, at the thought of having her leave to the world ruled by Death at his young age?

A smile crossed the brunet's face.

_He wouldn't be Takeshi if he acted depressed, _Tsuna thought happily, rubbing his eyes to rid them of the tears threatening to cascade down his face.

* * *

**AN: **_Ok, this is the last major 8027-fluff chapter for a while. XD I need to hint at other pairings, and I need to go back to progressing towards the climax. I've actually figured out what I want to do with the plot (Details are still fuzzy, but I've got the basic idea)! _

_I got a lot of amazing reviews for the last chapter. XD I'm not the best at humor, but I tried my hardest, and I was really glad that most of you liked it. Please continue to review! And if you have a request for a pairing you'd like me to hint at or an idea for maybe a mini arc, go ahead and say it in a review. Don't think that I won't take it into consideration! 'Cause I do think about them. _

_Ok, this is chapter fourteen, so after I post chapter fifteen (Don't know when it'll be up…), the poll will still be up for two days! Thirty minutes after I post the chapter the countdown will begin! Right now, "People Like Us" is in the lead._

_Please vote, and review questions! I'll answer them in the next chapter's AN (Note: only three questions per review, please.) _


	15. Servant of the Artistic Master?

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Servant of the Artistic Master?" (Chapter Fifteen) _

* * *

He wouldn't be Takeshi if he acted depressed_, Tsuna thought happily, rubbing his eyes to rid them of the tears threatening to cascade down his face._

Monday came around a lot sooner than the art prodigy had wanted. The weekend was the best one that the brunet had had in a while, despite the mashed potato bullet that he was hit with. They talked (something that was akin to school girl gossiping), ate all the food in the fridge (If Tsuna wanted to get Mammon on his side, that wasn't the way to go), and worked miserably on homework. The last one was a torture exercise for the writer in the house.

But despite all that, everything was great. And Monday came around to ruin it. Once upon a time, Tsuna would have felt bad for Monday. It was hated just as he was. Though once he entered middle school, there was no such pity.

Tsuna's brown eyes drifted their gaze out the window, watching the familiar scenery go past in a blur. They weren't going all that fast, but his brain was still groggy with sleep, making everything seem hazy.

"Tired," he heard Fon asked, his voice reverberating. The Chinese man smiled over at him, those dark eyes seeming bright and wide awake. Oh what Tsuna would have given to be a morning person.

"You could say that," he mumbled quietly, wanting nothing more then to head back home and climb into his comfortable bed. His nice, warm, soft, plush bed with the big comforter that would swallow him up when he buried himself inside it.

"Don't fall asleep, Tsuna," Yamamoto laughed from behind him, patting the art prodigy's shoulder comfortingly. His amber eyes were closed as his signature easy-going grin spread across his tan face.

"I'm not," the brunet protested, resting his head against the back of his seat. His brown eyes looked over at his taller friend, a small blush covering his face as he tried to glare lightly. Instead it just looked like an adorable blush, and the sports prodigy chuckled at the sight.

Fon's dark eyes watched the two students from the corners of his eyes, a small spreading across his face at the sight. He turned back to the road, driving as the light turned green, and heading towards his work. The martial arts instructor's face seemed to be drained of energy as he 'looked forward' to seeing his students.

_If I remember correctly, its Kyoya's turn to spar with me…_

* * *

Running was not Tsuna's favorite thing in the world. It wasn't his favorite form of exercise, it wasn't his favorite pass time, and it just wasn't his favorite in anything. It was a useful skill, though. Especially when it came to escaping with your life.

Since he became friends with Yamamoto, the bullying hadn't been as bad as it had been. And when he was caught around Hibari or Mukuro (both were quite reluctant to be his muse), it became nearly nonexistence. The brunet was happy about that, because it meant that he wouldn't have to tell his caretakers, which meant fewer casualties.

But there were always those few idio-not very smart people that would come to use him as a punching bag. And though Tsuna claimed that they weren't all that smart, he had to admit that they knew when to attack.

And that would be during third period. When Yamamoto was heading to PE, when Chrome was already at the door of the Photography Club's room with Mukuro trailing behind as he went to the stage room, and when Hibari was taking his nap under the largest tree on the other side of the campus.

Yes, Tsuna would have to admit that they had done their research. He was alone, heading towards the art room to meet up with Dino, his 'elder brother' figure and get more sketching done. They were a full month into the project, and would need to be finishing soon. And that was ok, because the art prodigy only needed two more muses to reach the minimum of six, and he could simply have Fon and Reborn be apart of it.

With that happy thought, Tsuna was merrily making his way to his class, a graceful smile plastered on his face. His precious sketchbook was clutched to his chest lightly, making it obvious to those who knew him that he was relaxed. It was a nice day, despite how tired he was. _It really is-_

And then his three attackers walked in front of him, blocking his path. They were a foot taller than him, and they were stockier. It was hard to believe that they were in middle school and not high school. The only difference was that most of the high school students didn't bother picking on the lower classmen.

"Hey, Dame-Tsuna," one called over, a grin plastered onto his ugly face (Tsuna had to be honest while describing people…), showing his yellow crooked teeth. "Where are your friends, hmm?"

"U-Uh," the brunet replied, backing away ever so slowly. His brown eyes were wide in fear, and darted from side to side, trying to create an escape route within his head. The only option seemed to be to retreat the way he came. But if he did that, he would be late to class…

"You're never alone," one of the less ugly ones commented, grinning just like his buddy. "It seems as though they all made a schedule so you wouldn't be hurt. Isn't that adorable?"

Tsuna tensed at the mocking tone. His eyes narrowed slightly. Despite the heart wrenching fear of being beaten senseless, anger began to wash over him. The brunet found it strange that he always got angry when his friends were being insulted, especially since a few of them liked to use him as a punching bag themselves…

"Even the terrifying Shylark is caught around you," the third laughed, "He says he doesn't like crowding, but he crowds around you. Pathetic!"

"And the pineapple haired guy!"

"Even Yamamoto, that loser, hangs around you. That isn't helping his image any-"

"Will you shut up," Tsuna yelled, gritting his teeth. He glared at the three older students, "I can tolerate the insults directed at me, but don't go insulting my friends!"

"Pfft. You're hilarious, Dame-Tsuna," the first ugly one laughed.

"Yeah, hilarious," the second one agreed.

"Guys, we're running out of time," the third one, that seemed to be the timekeeper, noted. His squinty eyes looked at the large clock on the wall, then back at the 'prey' (Aka. Tsuna) with bloodthirsty eyes. "Can we get on with it?"

"H-how about no," the brunet asked in a high-pitched voice. Three sets of eyes turned towards him, and the art prodigy immediately wished that he hadn't said a word. "Uh, I'll take t-that as a-a 'no' then? Ok, b-bye."

With that, he turned and ran. And ran. And ran. Resulting in the thoughts of how running wasn't his favorite activity. He turned his gaze behind him for a split moment while turning a corner, seeing his attackers speeding up. They must have really wanted to punch…

Tsuna gulped. His legs kept running as fast as they could, even after minutes of going at full speed. They were screaming at him to stop, but the art prodigy knew that if he listened, he would be in much worse pain.

Another corner, another glance. They had sped up once again, getting too close for comfort. Tsuna's brown eyes darted from side to side, trying to figure out where he was. He was in one of the hallways of the main building, surrounded by small lockers that would provide no protection.

He was alone in the hallway, all the doors shut. A quick passing glance at the large clock on the wall told him that he was indeed late to class, something that would result in extra torture from Reborn later. The art prodigy pushed that _lovely _thought to the back of his mind. He had more pressing matters at the moment.

"Hiiieeee," the brunet screeched, brown eyes widening as he turned his gaze back to in front of him. He spotted someone in front of him, walking with his eyes closed, completely oblivious to Tsuna. The art prodigy tried to hit the breaks, but his legs continued to move.

Something inside of the first-year told him that he needed to keep running, not just to get away from the bullies, but for a different reason. And so he listened to his intuition for once, not stopping.

He ended up brushing past the passerby, noting the silver-hair and punk like clothes as he did. The silver-haired student was pushed back a little at the force, and he opened his eyes to glare hatefully at whomever did the crime, just to see a blur of brown hair.

The student's back hit the wall of lockers, and just as he was about to get up and yell hateful words at the person that dared push him, something loud fell from the ceiling. The first year looked over to where he had been standing recently, spotting a fallen light there.

He blinked his silver-green eyes a few times, the hate washing away from his face as realization came knocking.

_That guy just…saved me? _He asked himself in disbelief; looking at the direction his savor had run off in. A light blush covered his cheeks for a moment, and then it disappeared as three idiots stopped next to him.

"Gokudera," one of them called out breathlessly, "Did you see Dame-Tsuna run by? You know the one, short with brown hair?"

"What business do you have with him," the silver-haired student squinted his eyes as though calculating something mentally, and his voice was filled with malice. He made a mental note to get more information on this 'Dame-Tsuna' who had saved him.

The three of bullies looked at each other hesitantly, though shrugged a few minutes later, deciding that it couldn't hurt to tell the silver-head. If anything, he would most likely help them.

When they told him their intentions, the response they got wasn't the one they expected. Gokudera's eyes were shadowed as he cracked his knuckles, taking slow and terrifying steps towards his victims.

* * *

Lunch was Tsuna's relief of the day. He walked around carefully, believing that his one lucky moment of that day way used when he managed to escape the attackers from earlier. He made his way to the roof quietly, head going from side to side nervously.

The cold metallic door seemed to be warm and fuzzy as he opened it, most likely his delusion in thinking that the roof was a sanctuary.

His brown eyes began to tear up happily when his gaze landed on familiar people.

"Hey, Tsuna," Yamamoto laughed waving over to the small brunet from his spot.

Chrome took a bite from her rice ball, her favorite lunchtime meal, and waved over at him shyly. A small smile rested on her face, that calm aura of hers soothing the brunet.

"Kufufufu," Mukuro laughed from his spot next to his younger sister. He was standing instead of sitting, but he seemed just as relaxed as the other two. "Sawada Tsunayoshi-"

"Please, just call me by my first name," the brunet sighed.

"-You seemed more worn out than usual," the blue-haired third year finished, ignoring the interruption by the art prodigy.

"You could say that," Tsuna sighed, bowing his head in both exhaustion and defeat.

"Herbivores, be quiet."

"Kufufufu, if you want to sleep, Shylark, then go somewhere else."

"I'll sleep where I want to."

"Then don't complain."

Tsuna smiled at the familiar bickering, smiling. He walked over and sat in his usual spot between the baseball star and one-eyed photographer, taking out his lunch and ignoring the verbal fight between the third-years. The art prodigy rested his bento, that Fon had kindly made him, onto his lap, about to open it.

"Oi."

Three sets of eyes turned towards the open door, eyeing the person that had stepped into their 'sanctuary' curiously. The first-year trio (Tsuna, Takeshi and Chrome.) watched the new person close the metallic door, then turn back around to glare at them.

Tsuna gasped slightly, going rigid at the sight of the silver hair and those unique, calculative silver-green eyes. He thought back to the hateful, murderous glare he had gotten when he bumped into the silver-head earlier, and knew that the other had come to hurt him for the deed.

As those silver-green eyes scanned over everyone, glaring at each and every one of them, they stopped on Tsuna, the glare immediately intensifying. He pointed at the brunet accusingly.

"Are you Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

The art prodigy shook in his spot, wanting to cry in despair at his inevitable doom. He wanted to deny his identity, to make up a fake name and run like his life depended on it (Even though his legs still ached from his run earlier). But he just couldn't say that it wasn't him. The words wouldn't come out.

"Y-Yes," he stuttered out reluctantly, still shaking in fear.

A moment of silence passed between everyone, even the two arguing third years had stopped their bickering to watch the scene with interest. The silver-haired teen took a step forward, hands coming out of his pants pockets as he did.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," he mumbled, eyes shadowed, his hands clenched in fists on either side of him. In a blur of silver (Everything seemed to become a blur today…), the student was on his knees, bowing in front of the brunet.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi-sama, I, Gokudera Hayato, will here by be your loyal servant for as long as I live!"

"What?!"

* * *

**AN: **_Wow, I think this may be the longest chapter I've written so far. XD See what a few days of not being able to write does to a person? Anyways, yeah, this chapter was delayed because I have been sick since Thursday! I still am kinda sick, but I'm feeling much better, and just had to write this chapter. I'm sorry if it's horrible._

_Anyways, to the questions! _

_**SkyTuna7227**:_ I really like Protective!D27 and G27, so I'll try to incorporate them…somehow…G27 may be a bit difficult. XD

scarlet rose white: Yes! I will try to bring in more R27 fluff later on. XD For a few chapters I'm going to try to progress the story a bit, but I will bring in the R27 hinting.

_**TestuNyan**:_ I'll try to hint at Col27 soon. XD And how did you read my mind?

_**Guest: Saruko**:_ Well, um, he appeared. :3 This chapter should answer that question. And the whole "accidental save" scene sort of happened again. But I don't plan on Goku-kun (My pet name for Gokudera) calling Tsuna Boss or Tenth. XD It wouldn't fit into the normal AU!

Those were all the questions. Send in more and I'll answer them next chapter's AN! Remember, three per review. Um, the poll will be up for two more days, the countdown starting after thirty minutes of this chapter being uploaded. Please vote! "People Like Us" is in the lead at the moment. :3 And please review! They give me inspiration and motivation!


	16. Name Calling

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Name Calling" (Chapter Sixteen)_

* * *

"_What?!"_

Tsuna was being stalked. It was obvious. Ever since that day, he had had this feeling. He would be walking the halls of the school for gifted teens when a cold, frightening chill would run down his spine. It wouldn't go away until classes started. Then the terrifying feeling just sort of disappeared; vanishing, and he knew was safe…for the time being…

It would reappear again after class. To be exact, five minutes _before_ classes ended. Then the feeling would claw away at his back before the next class. And the cycle continued throughout the entire day.

When he was walking with Chrome, a few days since the feeling suddenly arrived, from the photography room to the rooftop, he had heard footsteps behind them. Trailing them, and that horribly familiar tingle down his spine came back full force. Tsuna swore that it was like someone had ghosted a fingernail ever so painfully against the skin of his back, directly where the bones that held him up were.

People gasped, and the brunet could see that the one-eyed photographer next to him was curious as to who was trailing the two of them. Tsuna, on the other hand, knew exactly who it was. Without even turning around, he could feel that dangerous, and strangely devoted aura rolling off of his stalker.

_"Hey, isn't that…?"_

_"Kyaa! It is!"_

"_Isn't he so dreamy?"_

"_Totally! But why is he following Dame-Tsuna and Chrome-san?"_

"_Oh! Look! He's looking at us!"_

"Will you shut up!? Your voices are annoying!"

"What is wrong with him," Tsuna asked in a tired and depressed voice. The palm of his hand met his awaiting forehead, the sound of skin slapping against skin resounding in the near quiet hallway, which was unusual for this time of day.

"Tsunayoshi," Chrome mumbled, tilting her head slightly. Her one purple eye glinted with curiosity, though mild, and not unhealthy like her elder brother's. "Isn't that Gokudera-san?"

"Y-yeah," the brunet replied, sinking a bit. His shoulders felt heavy all of a sudden. How unusual… The art prodigy turned his head to look behind them, seeing the silver head following at a comfortable distance (If you could call it comfortable).

Those calculative silver-green eyes glinted dangerously as they glared at whomever dared to look at him. The glare and dark aura that surrounded the fellow student seemed to intensify every time a girl would squeal or faint at his presence. "Tch. Stupid woman," he mumbled hatefully.

_What is wrong with him, _Tsuna asked again, this time mentally. His brown eyes were wide as he watched the student behind him, walking the same pace as he was easily.

It had been three days (It was now Wednesday) since the silver-haired teenager had devoted his 'unwavering loyalty' to the brunet. And in those three days, the art prodigy tried his hardest to avoid the other.

It was hard though.

Gokudera Hayato, and Italian transfer-student, who was also a first year musical prodigy with a knack for explosives, was extremely smart. The silver-haired teen was a genius in every category. Math, History (Italian, Japanese, American, African. Name it and he would know it), Science, English, Foreign Languages. Everything.

He was amazing at coming up with strategies and schedules (Organized schedules just to stalk the brunet!) to be there at Tsuna's classroom door five minutes before the bell rang. And though the art prodigy pretended to not notice the other, he saw him everyday, waiting excitedly outside the door.

Every time the Italian saw him, the dark, dangerous, murderous aura (Not even close to Reborn's but still frightening) would dissipate and a happy, giggling atmosphere would surround him. Complete with a light pink haze settling around the other and floating flowers. His silver-green eyes would sparkle (and seemed to grow in size), and he seemed to get a pair of gray dog-ears and a tail that wagged happily behind him.

It was interesting and disturbing at the same time. But no matter how much it annoyed, or entertained, the brunet, he had to give Gokudera credit. The genius was persistent.

"Sawada-sama," the musical prodigy greeted enthusiastically, eyes shining and the (not so) imaginary dog parts appeared once again. The older teen seemed to sparkle in excitement at the gaze of his 'master'. "Good morning! How are you today? Are these girls bothering you? I'll blow them away with my home-made dynamite!"

Tsuna watched as the silver-head pulled out dynamites (Everyone called them _fireworks_) from his pockets, glaring at all the teenager girls that were supposedly 'annoying' the brunet.

"No! Gokudera-kun, don't do that," the art prodigy screeched, snatching away the items before they could be lighten. The only thing he needed was to have damages to the school that his caretakers (Reborn) would blame him for. He didn't need the bills, not when…

Tsuna gulped lightly, shaking in fear of both his 'stalker' and the thought of a certain cloaked being.

"U-Uh, S-Sawada-sama," the silver-head stuttered out, blinking in surprise. The sparkle in those unique platinum green eyes hadn't left, and instead seemed to shine brighter than before. A large smile that showed nothing but happiness and appreciation spread across the other's face, and despite how terrified he was, Tsuna couldn't help but blush.

The art prodigy's face inched towards his self-proclaimed 'servant' (Spelt S-T-A-L-K-E-R to the brunet) without him noticing, too transfix with the devoted look of the other. The longish silver hair that framed the other's pale face, those silver-green eyes, everything! It was a perfect art piece! But Gokudera wasn't an object; he was a person…a person that needed to be sketched!

"Gokudera-kun," Tsuna asked excitedly, though a smile wasn't plastered onto his face. No, it was time to get serious! His brown eyes sparkled in inspiration as he clutched one of the sticks of dangerous dynamite in his hand unknowingly, "Be apart of my painting please! Please allow me to sketch you!"

"Sawada-sama's painting," the silver-haired teen mumbled before his eyes sparkled brilliantly once again. How could he have forgotten? His wonderful master was an artist! A fantastic one at that! "Yes, Sawada-sama! Of course I'll be apart of it!"

"Thank you," Tsuna smiled cutely, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly. His brown eyes closed the tiniest fraction, and his equally brown eyes seemed to be brighter than before. A small blush adored his pale-ish cheeks, adding to the adorableness that was the brunet.

Gokudera's face heated up at the sight. Instead of a small blush, his spread rapidly down his neck and covered his ears, along with his entire face. As his small 'master' pulled him along, saying that they were heading to the roof to do the sketch, the silver couldn't help but think that the shorter one was cute.

How lucky of him, to get such a cute and nice 'master'!

* * *

When they got to the rooftop, Chrome had thought that somewhere along the way they had lost the hot-tempered octopus head and picked up a tomato with silver locks instead. The devoted 'servant' of her friend, Tsuna, seemed to be putty in the small brunet's hands. The art prodigy continued to talk to the silver-haired first year without even realizing the dark red blush that had covered the new muse's face.

Inside, the one-eyed photographer was giggling at the cute scene. How oblivious her friend could be.

"Please don't disturb us," Tsuna yelled as soon as he entered the roof, dragging the still beet-red musical prodigy behind him. He received everyone's attention, a few trying not to show that they cared (Mainly Hibari).

"Kufufufu," Chrome's dear older brother laughed, eyes glinting mischievously at the sight before him, "I know that look, Tsunayoshi. You've replaced my dear Chrome's session, haven't you?"

Chrome, at his words, remembered the schedule sketch session she and the brunet had made at that moment. Her one purple eye glanced at her elder brother before turning to the art prodigy, who tried to stutter an apology out before returning to work.

She shook her head, purple pineapple-shaped hair swaying slightly at the action. "Its ok, Tsunayoshi. You seem really excited to draw Gokudera-san."

Her face didn't show the squealing that she was mentally doing at the sight. It was simply too adorable, how her dear friend blushed at her words. Gokudera still had a blush upon his face, though lightened (Slightly), and he averted his eyes to the side to study everyone.

Those calculative eyes narrowed as he studied Mukuro, getting that eerily chipper atmosphere that radiated with bloodlust. The blue-haired third year was a transfer student from Italy, as well, though came two years before.

His gaze shifted to Hibari, already used to the mass amount of bloodlust that rolled off of the perfect. The Skylark was resting peacefully on the roof of the entrance, arms behind his head as he slept soundly.

Chrome, the other pineapple head (In Gokudera's perspective) wasn't as bad as her older brother. She seemed nice and didn't have any hidden intent to somehow hurt his beloved 'master'. But she was female. Something he didn't like.

And then finally, those silver-green eyes turned to the one he hated the most. Yamamoto. The glare intensified as his gaze landed on the tall first year. He saw the slight narrow of those amber eyes as he did so, knowing that the idiot was all that oblivious as he thought. Though before he could make any clear calculations, a grin spread across the sports prodigy's face, hiding away the emotions.

Gokudera's eyes blinked in surprise at that, though returned to their usual scowl not long after. He had to bite his tongue not to grit his teeth. Out of all of the people that interacted with his artistic 'master', the stupid baseball idiot was the worse. He bluntly slung his arm around the brunet's shoulders, called the short by that nickname ever so casually. It was disrespectful!

"Gokudera-kun!"

"Huh," the silver-haired prodigy mumbled, turning his attention back to Tsuna. Those brown eyes were still shining brightly, causing yet another blush to form on the taller's face.

The art prodigy, satisfied with getting the other's attention once again, went back to sketching, conversing with his newfound friend. "I was saying that you don't have to call me 'Sawada-sama'. In fact, I don't want you to call me that."

For a second, the brunet's face lifted back up and those brown eyes glowed as he smiled at the music prodigy, tilting his head to the side once again. "Just call me Tsuna, please."

_Ba-dump!_

"I can't do that," Gokudera bluntly declined, trying not to move as he explained his reasons. "It would be disrespectful! I am just a lowly servant-"

"No," the art prodigy replied, hand stopping in the middle of shading the other's hair. His eyes were shadowed, and a sad smile crossed his face. "Gokudera-kun, you're not my servant. You're my friend. So please, call me by my first name."

"B-but-"

"C'mon, Gokudera," an ever so annoying voice called over, earning a hateful glare. Yamamoto smiled over at the current muse for his little brother figure's wonderful sketches, amber eyes playful and kind as always. "Tsuna wants you to call him by his name! It would be disrespectful if you didn't call him what he asked you to call him!"

Chrome nodded her head in response, agreeing with the baseball idol.

"Kufufu," Mukuro laughed from the side, leaning against the wall, "Tsunayoshi is very persistent, you could say. He won't give up until you abide by his wishes."

"Herbivore," Hibari growled, glaring at his silver-headed underclassmen from where he lay, "Just call that brown stupid herbivore by his name."

Ignoring the insults (by some miracle), Gokudera once again turned his attention to the art prodigy, who continued to shade the sketch of him. Jealously flared inside of the musical teen's chest, not liking how everyone else on the roof seemed closer to the brunet than him, the 'servant'!

"T-T-Tsuna-sama-a," he mumbled out, words foreign on his tongue. He couldn't allow all of the idiots on the roof to beat him. He would be the closest person to the brunet no matter what!

"Take off the 'sama'," everyone said in reply simultaneously, tones varying from glee, happy-go-lucky, monotone, annoyed and mischievous.

"No," Gokudera protested, "T-Tsuna-sama!"

The art prodigy sighed as a verbal fight erupted between his newfound friend and the third years (Yamamoto was just stating his opinion, not really trying to fight). A smile spread across his face as he finished the sketch of the music prodigy, signing his name.

At the moment, Tsuna-sama was fine.

* * *

**AN:**_ This chapter was finished this morning at 7:05 am but I delayed updating it till I got home from school at 2:30 pm. Then I delayed updating it till 3 pm (It's a few minutes after, but oh well), 'cause that was when the poll went down. XD _

_"People Like Us" won with 15 votes! Second place was the "Don't upload another story" option. In third place was my favorite choice (I love all of them, but I really wanted to do this one XD), "Kingdom Come". Then in fourth and fifth place was "Just upload One-shots" (5th), and "Spirit" (6th)._

_The first chapter of "People Like Us" will be up when I finish it. (*smiles*) It was my second favorite idea, and I'm really excited to post it! XD Its gonna be interesting (I hope…)_

_Um, I know that I said that I'd answer more questions this chapter's AN, but I'll delay that to next chapter. XD This AN is kind of dragging on and on… So yeah, continue to send in questions. If you have already sent in three questions, you can send in one more for this chapter that you want me to answer._

_On that note, look at the review count. Almost to 100! :D This'll be the first story of mine that ever got to 100 reviews! And it's already broken my record for follows (140 something last time I checked XD), and favorites! Thank you! Continue to support this story please! Reviews, follows, and favorites make me happy and super excited to type of chapters quicker! _


	17. Deadline! Straight Ahead!

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Deadline! Straight Ahead!" (Chapter Seventeen)_

* * *

_At the moment, Tsuna-sama was fine._

It was Friday, the golden day of the week. It was the day that Tsuna would come home from school knowing he wouldn't have to return to the prison for two days. It was also the day he could stay up late doing whatever he wanted without feeling the consequences in the morning. That is, if Reborn wasn't in a bad mood. Sadly, the writer seemed to be getting more and more stressed out with each passing week.

Tsuna's smile didn't even falter at the thought of his sadistic caretaker. His pale face (Which had gotten a bit tanner!) was bright and cheerful, brown eyes sparkling happily. He was currently at school (Boo), heading to his first elective, the wide-ranged art class with a klutz as its instructor. He wasn't looking side to side and twitching at every small sound like usual. He knew that he was perfectly safe at the moment.

Since the bullying incident, Gokudera (His new-found 'servant') had taken it upon himself to walk the brunet part way to his classroom. Then from there, Hibari (Who had been quite reluctant in helping) would silently watch the art prodigy from the roof of the building. As soon as Tsuna was to his class safe, the Skylark would run off to sleep under his favorite tree. Or at least, that's what the brunet assumed he did.

The Carnivore had seemed to grow quite fond of (If you call him not beating Tsuna senseless being fond of) the little brunet. His glare had softened since their first few encounters, and he seemed generally less reluctant and violent at the idea of being the art prodigy's muse. He was still impatient with the process though, which still made drawing the gray-eyed teen difficult.

_Progress, _Tsuna sighed within the safety of his mind, a small blush forming on his face. He made a fist with one hand in front of him, physically showing his determination.

"What a perfect time to get determined," Dino, the blonde klutz of an instructor, stated as the brunet took his seat. There were still a few minutes left in passing time, and he was one of the few people that were in the classroom at the moment. It was quiet and relaxing, one of the few times in the room when Tsuna didn't have to work.

Some of the students that sketched faster had already begun to paint their group of people. Wet canvases littered the classroom, placed in safe places. Unsafe for those that were rowdy (Tsuna's friends, for example), but completely at ease for the careful art students. The art prodigy made a mental note never to bring a few of them into the room together (Gokudera, Hibari, and Mukuro.)

The room was filled with the earthy sent of acrylic paints, the most common art supply that was used. A few people had decided to use water paints, but other than that, it was just the acrylics they had all used in middle school. Nothing unusual, but useful and easy to use nonetheless.

An arm wrapped around Tsuna's shoulders, startling the first year from his thoughts. He glared over at the 'attacker'. Yamamoto was the only one allowed to sling an arm around him, even though the silver-headed prodigy always complained of it.

When his eyes met his instructor's, the glare slipped away from his pale face. A small blush dusted his cheeks, noticeable on his fair skin. He blinked his large brown eyes, confusion slipping onto his face. It was obvious to anyone who looked that he was asking mental questions.

"Kyoya told me about the bullying," Dino answered, protectiveness replacing the easy-going part of his aura. His expression was still gentle and caring, but the atmosphere around him thickened. "Why didn't my cute little brother say anything to me? Hmm, Tsuna?"

The blush upon the art prodigy's face flared up to the shade of a strawberry, spreading down his neck as his brown eyes once again squinted in a glare. What was up with people calling him 'cute' and 'little brother' lately? Dino, Yamamoto, even Colonello had called him the title that morning!

Though still seething inside at being called little, the brunet blinked in surprise after he registered what his 'older brother' had said. "Wait, you mean Hibari-san told you? Why?"

It was Dino's turn to blink in surprise. He looked confused for a moment, but understanding flashed across his expression a few moments later. The art instructor chuckled lightly as a small blush of his own dusted his face. "Kyoya is your friend, even though he won't admit it. In his words, you're an 'interesting herbivore', which means he's taken an interest in you."

"I don't think that's the reason," Tsuna mumbled in reply after a minute of thinking it over, "I think maybe…Hibari-san didn't like anybody else using me as a punching bag but him…" A look of defeat crossed his face, and he sighed tiredly. Yes, that must have been the answer.

"He mentioned something about a brunet punching bag, too."

"Knew it…"

* * *

The rest of the school day had been surprisingly tame. Tsuna didn't get chased throughout campus by bullies (Or Gokudera claiming his undying loyalty to his 'master'). His two third-year friends didn't catch him in their usual bloodbath battles. And he wasn't getting scowls from the baseball team (Every time Yamamoto looked away, they suddenly appeared.).

Friday really was the golden day of the week, afterall.

The brunet had come home alone this week. And by alone he meant without one of his friends. Fon, of course, drove back to the shared home with him, making small chitchat along the way. The atmosphere between the two of them was cheerful, chipper, friendly. Something he liked of their drive from the school to the house or vice versa.

Both of them walked in together, entered the empty kitchen along side one another, but Tsuna was the only one that freaked out at who was waiting for them inside.

"Hiie," he yelled loudly, dropping his bag on the tiled floor and pointing a defensive finger at the intruder. They had blonde hair that he would recognize anywhere, and the usual gentle smile on his face was directed at the brunet like it had been earlier.

"Dino-nii," Tsuna yelled, using his self-proclaimed older brother's favorite nickname since they were in a safe place, "What are you doing here?"

"Hmm, you didn't know," Fon asked from the counter, boiling water to make tea for their guest, "Dino was Reborn's apprentice when he came to live with us for a while."

The Chinese man replaced his usual small smile for a look of surprise, figuring that the student had learned already of the sadistic caretaker and art instructor's relationship.

"What?"

"Is it that surprising," Dino laughed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. His face took a look of seriousness immediately afterwards, making the small brunet shiver, "But Tsuna, I just came here to say something to you in private."

"Hmm," the art prodigy hummed in curiosity. He lost all nervousness and mild discomfort as soon as he heard the words, his curious nature taking over.

"You're project deadline," Dino paused for a dramatic affect without realizing, "Has been moved to next week."

* * *

**AN:** _I can honestly say this wasn't my favorite chapter. And its the shortest one I've written for this story. Ugh. The only part I truly like of this chapter is the slightly D27. And that's about it...Don't be surprised if this chapter is different by the end of the week. XD_

_News! "People Like Us" is up! Its has four reviews, five favorites, and 17 follows so far (*Shiny eyed*)! I'm happy that it seems liked. XD Oh, another note is that I have a very important poll up! Please vote honesty! It'll make or break my confidence..._

_Now, onto the belated questions!~_

_**GreenDrkness**: The project is due in a week (Tsuna's time). Now, why should I tell you this? XD Don't mean to sound rude, but that would be giving too much plot away! Same with the Iemitsu thing. (Did I spell his name right?)  
_

_**ProudYaoiFangirl00**0: Of course I'll bring more F27 soon. XD I love that pairing so much.  
_

_**SkyTuna7227**: I sent a PM regarding this, but I'll answer the question simply here: I didn't mean to! Its a typo. I'm sorry (*hangs head in shame*)_

_scarlet rose white: Thank you. I still have a slight cough but I'm feeling so much better. :3 And I'm not a big fan on either 6927 or 1827, but I am sort of trying to make them somewhat protective of our little Tuna fish...Should I try harder?_

_**Kagome higurashi**: I think I may have confused you with my last AN, dear. XD I'm sorry. That wasn't the last chapter. There are still plenty of chapters left. I can't answer either of your questions 'cause they'd reveal too much. _

_Ok, that was all the questions so far. If I missed you, PM me. XD I'm going to ask for no questions this chapter, 'cause its hard remembering to answer them...On that note, please review, favorite, and follow~!~ They make my day and make me write faster~_


	18. Emotionless

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Emotionless" (Chapter Eighteen) _

* * *

_"You're project deadline," Dino paused for a dramatic affect without realizing, "Has been moved to next week."_

Tsuna knew it was rude to stare, his mother had always told him so, but when his klutz of a teacher broke the news to him, he couldn't help it. His brown eyes widened with surprise, and his mouth opened a bit as well. His pale face held almost no emotion, just plain shock of what was said.

It wasn't exactly a big deal, though. The brunet had five friends, and he could always ask Reborn, Fon, Colonello, or even Mammon or Dino to be apart of his muse. But… something, a tugging sensation in his chest, told him that that wouldn't be right. That he had some important reason to fight against the deadline.

"Dino-nii," Tsuna cried after he made his decision, startling the blonde that had been waving a hand in front of his face, "What brought this on!? Why are you taking a full two weeks from me!?"

The art instructor blinked up at him, due to the result of him sitting, for a moment, blinking his eyes in confusion. Then he turned his gaze down to his teacup, eyeing the liquid like it had done something wrong. "I didn't want to shave off a two weeks, Tsuna. Its just that…"

"Just that?"

"The school board has told me the project is due in one week, because the art program will be closing by next term."

Silence. Thick, uncomfortable, horrible silence filled the room. Tsuna's eyes went dead at the news. He couldn't process what had been said. It couldn't be true, right? They wouldn't just close the art program in a school for prodigies, right? _But Dino-nii wouldn't lie, _the brunet told himself. _They're closing the door that keeps me with the people I care for…_

* * *

When Monday came around, Tsuna wished he could just lie in bed and cry. He didn't mind becoming a hermit. It actually sounded nice, never leaving the safety of your room. But apparently, Reborn had a bit of trouble with it. He should have guessed…

Instead of Fon driving the brunet to school, the dark-eyed writer decided to. The martial arts instructor was in the back seat, looking uncomfortable as he looked out the window. His smile was strained on his face, and he kept looking between the driver and the spirit-crushed student.

"Stop acting so pathetic," Reborn's voice stated quietly, his tone dropping a few notches to add to the threatening aura surrounding him, "I didn't enroll you into this school just so you could become even more of a wimp at hearing some bad news."

Tsuna looked as though he didn't hear his caretaker. He was slumped in his seat, his eyes lifeless and devoted of any emotion. His face had turned to an almost unhealthy shade; losing the tan he'd gotten on the roof while sketching for a long time. His mouth was in a firm line, letting nothing slip away.

_Just like at the funeral, _Reborn thought sourly, gritting his teeth at the sight. He glared at the road as he drove, and any poor person that looked at him seemed to drop dead at the sight. It wasn't a good day to be around the writer. Not when the brunet was acting so pathetic.

"You do realize," the writer asked quietly, not looking over at the teen in the passenger seat, "That if you look like that at school, they'll worry, right?"

He didn't get a reply at that. The brunet simply looked dead, as though he belonged in a coffin with his mother. Reborn made a 'tch' sound in frustration, not noticing (somehow) the slight twitch of movement from the art prodigy, who sat up a bit straighter.

* * *

"Tsuna," Yamamoto called to the car that the small brunet always drove to school in. He waved happily and enthusiastically, wanting to catch the art prodigy's attention. His amber eyes widened slightly when he saw Reborn step out of the driver's door instead of Fon, who had gotten out from the back. What was the fedora-wearing writer doing here?

The sports prodigy's grin slipped off his face at the thought. What had happened? His eyes scanned for his cute little 'brother', and widened when said teen stepped out from the passenger's door. Those usually sparkling brown eyes were emotionless, exactly like how they had been when he'd pulled out the painting.

"No, no, no," Takeshi mumbled under his breath, walking towards his short friend as fast as he could. He towered over the art prodigy once he got there, putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking it ever-so gently, "Hey, Tsuna, what's wrong?"

The brunet kept his face down, eyes shadowed by the brown locks of hair that fell into his face. He was silent as he had been since last night, when Dino had given the news. How could he converse with the others knowing that he'd be leaving them, going back to his old public school?

"Tsuna," Takeshi asked again, voice gentle and quiet to the point that only the art prodigy could hear him. His tone was desperate as his hand on Tsuna's shoulder tightened its grip.

The shorter teen looked up, a smile on his lips. His eyes closed as he attempted to hide away his emotions. "I'm fine, Takeshi. Nothings wrong."

Yamamoto didn't look convinced, though he grinned along. He could tell that his little 'brother' wasn't in the mood to talk of his troubles, and he could understand that. As Tsuna began to talk of the deadline moving to the end the week, the baseball idol's amber eyes met two sets of dark black ones, a single question radiating between them.

Both caretakers looked away, though. They wouldn't spill the brunet's thoughts, even though Reborn was slightly tempted to. The writer sighed and tilted down his fedora a bit, shadowing his face before heading towards the principle's office. It was time to talk to Luce about canceling the art program.

Fon walked a bit towards his classroom, then stopped. He turned his gaze back over to the two first-years, watching as that fake smile on the brunet's face became less obvious as he adjusted to it. As he adjusted to hiding away his emotions. _Oh Tsuna, don't you know it isn't good to hide away your emotions for so long? _

The martial arts instructor sighed as he continued making his way to his class. He needed to warm-up before his students rolled in. Today was a test for them, meaning lots of teaching for him. Joy.

* * *

**AN: **_This chapter…seems like it's all over the place. XD I couldn't figure out how I wanted to start heading towards the first complication. Hopefully I won't have trouble writing the rest of the chapters. _

_O w O So, this story is my first fanfic that's ever gotten to 100 reviews. I was wondering if I should write a one-shot to celebrate? XD I keep piling on stuff for me to do, but I really do like to write. I've added a bunch of new ideas for KHR! fics on my profile, and since Halloween is coming up, I wanted to do a short five chapter monster-themed story, as well as a Greek Mythology multi-chapter story… _

_I think I'll save the Greek Mythology-themed story for Halloween day itself. Post the first chapter then. That should open up my writing schedule a bit, so I won't feel as pressured…_

_Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If not, tell me in a review! I'll take your criticism with gratitude, and I'll apply any advice into the chapters to come! Till next chapter!~ _


	19. Hope for the Hopeless

**Title**:_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Hope for the Hopeless" (Chapter Nineteen)_

* * *

_Today was a test for them, meaning lots of teaching for him. Joy._

Tsuna had fallen into a routine. He would get up in the morning to loud yells outside the door and a hand knocking on the piece of wood horribly. Then he'd get dressed, and open the door to get hit on the head. With a gun. Not unexpected by his Spartan caretaker, which meant it didn't get a reply from the brunet.

His legs would numbly take him down the stairs, slower than usual. His brown eyes were always dull, except when he was at school. Then they would have a fake shine in them. _Just to keep them from worrying over me until they find out. To keep them from questioning me._

"Its not like you'll be leaving-leaving, kora," Colonello mumbled with bacon stuffed into his mouth, interrupting his thoughts one day. His light blue eyes sparkled at the art prodigy, seeing the lifeless teen look over at him. Just a bit of curiosity was all it took to make the soldier smile brightly,

"You'll still be living here, right? They'll be to come over! I bet we won't be able to keep them away, kora!"

"Despite the price of what they cost," Mammon sighed out, holding a mechanical pencil in a tight fist. There was a white piece of paper with numbers on it, calculations from the different problems. "You will still be able to get the art supplies you have been using. You are allowed to replenish them every month. No sooner."

The hooded magician had gotten quite fond of the little brunet. Ever since he was rescued in the conflict of Mashed Potato War I (They knew there'd be another…), he had seen the teen in new lights. In fact, as soon as he saw the checks of money that paid for the student, he nearly shouted in glee. Even taking in the amount of expensive the little brunet pet cost, the magician was still making more money than before. Which meant the teen equaled benefits, aka. money.

Fon took a quiet sip of his tea, dark eyes closed in bliss. Once the rim of the smooth, warm cup left his lips, he said to the boy sitting across the table from him, "We'll be here for you, Tsuna." He opened his dark eyes to look at the art prodigy with a kind shine in them. "And your friends will be here for you as well."

Tsuna stared at Fon, the last to speak, for a few minutes. Silence etched around them, which was unusual in the household. His brown eyes began to water, making his caretakers jump a little in shock. They didn't mean to make the brunet _cry_. They had been trying to cheer him up, not make him more depressed!

A quiet chuckle was heard from behind them as they were fussing over the brunet, who had buried his face into his hands and was crying silently. Three sets of eyes (One shadowed from a hood) looked over at the dark-haired writer standing next to the hallway entrance. A smirk was on his face as he chuckled at them a bit more.

"He's not crying because you made him sad," Reborn stated, tilting the fedora on his head down a bit to shadow part of his face. It just resulted in making the smirk that much clearer, which was most likely his goal. "You gave him hope. That's why he's crying. You three baboons gave him hope and now he's happy."

"_Hope_," all three men asked as they looked at the brunet in the middle of them. The shoulders were bouncing as though the teen was laughing…not sobbing, _laughing._

The brunet's smile was wavering as he pulled his head away from his hands, trying to hold in the fits of laughter that were raking his body. His brown eyes were still teary, but they had regained their full glorious color. They sparkled with happiness as he straightened himself out, taking deep breaths to calm himself down before speaking.

"Thank you," he stated, rubbing away the tears of joy from his eyes one at a time. "You're right…just because I won't be at…at the school anymore, I'll still be able to see my friends."

With that, Tsuna looked up at three of his caretakers, the smile shining with radiance. He tilted his head slightly to the side, causing the locks of chocolate brown hair to shift to the side and frame his face to become even more adorable. The art prodigy simply shined with cuteness.

At the sight, the three men in front of him blushed. Fon put up one of his long sleeves to his face to cover it, making sure to cough a few times afterwards. He had a lump in his throat all of a sudden... His dark eyes were looking away from the art prodigy, knowing that if he kept looking, his blush would never die down.

Mammon simply looked away, tugging his hood down more. It shadowed his face almost completely but a bit of his pale skin that was dusted pink showed. He'd have to pay Reborn to keep quiet about this afterwards… He sighed. What a pain.

Colonello blinked his big blue eyes a few times; blush growing as the seconds ticked by. Finally he straightened himself and looked up at the ceiling, mumbling to it with a stupid smile on his face and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Reborn simply chuckled from where he leaned against the wall, before heading back down the hallway. One problem was solved. His charge was no longer drooping around as though he wanted to die. Now he just needed to finish his manuscript by Friday…

* * *

**AN: **_Well, this is pretty much the shortest chapter that I'll write for this. I was about to start forcing words out which meant that it'd turn out worse than usual…sorry for the shortness! I shall try to write longer in the upcoming chapters!_

_On another note, this chapter was very ironic to me. Why? Because I started writing it after I finished writing a tragedy/romance fanfic (For those of you into Pandora Hearts, check it out~). XD Not only that, but I was listening to the song "Kiss It All Better" by He is We while writing it…that song is also what my new one-shot is based off of…_

_(*sighs*) Well, it is time to bid all of you ado! I shall see you next chapter!~ Which will be the twentieth chapter, which makes this story my longest one EVER. XD Please keep sending in reviews!~ They give me motivation to keep writing!_


	20. EXTREME Aura Coloring

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"EXTREME Aura Coloring" (Chapter Twenty)_

* * *

_Now he just needed to finish his manuscript by Friday…_

Tsuna was stressed. Very, very stressed. The deadline for his painting of at least six different people was coming up, and he only had five people. Five. Not the required six, but five. Yamamoto, Chrome, Hibari, Mukuro, and Gokudera. No matter how many times he counted his friends, he only had five (Which was great for him, but still…)

The brunet had told himself that if he hadn't made six friends (at the very least) by the time he needed to start painting, he could have one of his caretakers step in. None of them would mind if they weren't too busy, right? Fon would agree brightly, Mammon would ask to be paid, most likely, and Colonello would probably agree without care. Even Reborn would step in if it meant keeping the student at a B average.

Except, even though they didn't mind stepping in to be part of the muse, none of them _could_, which was just his luck. Colonello had to leave town for a week to step in for a friend in Military training camp while she was on vacation. Mammon would be departing back to Italy for two weeks to discuss matters with his fellow co-workers.

Fon was going back to China for a time to meet up with one of his students and discuss transferring. And Reborn had to go over to Italy with Mammon to discuss matters with Vongola (Apparently the magician worked in the company as well). The writer had said that he'd have at least one person in the household with him, but who was this mysterious fifth person that hadn't arrived yet?

Despite the thoughts he had about home, Tsuna wasn't worrying over them all that much. So what if he was going to be left alone for a while? His mom had taught him to cook, and if it were for himself, it would be fine. Besides that, the longest he'd be alone would be a week and then the bright and cheery blonde would come home. Nothing to worry about.

No, what he was worrying over was his project deadline. Without his caretakers there on Friday (It was currently Wednesday, and somehow, Luce had convinced the board to give them three more days extra for the project), the time he had scheduled to paint his friends, what would he do? Miraculously make a new friend by then? Pfft, like that could actually happen.

"Why," Tsuna moped, walking to the rooftop for lunch. Yamamoto was currently on a baseball trip, so the tall first year hadn't met him halfway to their destination. He'd be back by tomorrow, though…unlike his caretakers… the brunet sighed sadly. "At least Yamamoto will be back in time…and Chrome, Mukuro, and Hibari will be here…and Gokudera-kun will be back tomorrow, too."

The music prodigy had reluctantly gone back to Italy for a check-up and visit to his family. He had been very, very, very reluctant to go for two reasons. One was that he didn't want to leave his precious "Tsuna-sama" with strangers (Aka. The friends the brunet knew longer than himself). And the second reason was that he wasn't on his parent's good side at the moment.

Apparently Gokudera had run away from home a year back. He'd gotten into a fight with his older sister, who he called "Poison Scorpion" because of her horrible food (Which he claimed was like poison when eaten). They had been yelling at each other over the topic of his deceased mother, and he'd snapped, leaving the mansion he had grown up in.

But his parent's were rich, and were able to find him. Just not very quickly. _"It was about_ _eight months after I ran away," _the silver-headed teen explained, a scowl on his face. It hadn't been directed at anyone in particular, just the brick wall across from him. _"They found me after eight months, and then shipped me out here a few months later."_

Tsuna's footsteps thudded against the stairs as he made his way not so elegantly up them, stopping just before entering the roof. He had forgotten his lunch, since Fon usually prepared it for him and the martial arts instructor was in China at the moment. One of his pale hands pressed against the cool metallic door, and he sighed heavily as he stood there, sorting through his thoughts.

_Everything has gotten so complicated, _he whined safely inside the confinements of his mind. _Ever since Dino-nii gave the news of the art program…the art program canceling at the end of the term, I haven't been able to focus completely, and everything has seemed to become difficult. _

The art prodigy sighed heavily once again, pushing the door that had gained some warmth from his warm hand open, and cringed at the loud yell that followed. He nearly fell back in surprise at the scream, but instead tripped forward instead.

"EXTREME," one very loud person yelled. Tsuna's brown eyes blinked over at them, confused as to why the person decided to yell 'extreme'.

The student was a second-year, by the color of his vest, and had short, course white hair. His eyes were a gray color and full of sparkles of excitement. His hands were taped up as though he was a fighter of some sort, and from his voice, Tsuna wouldn't have been surprise if he turned out to be one.

"Hibari," the 'extreme' person yelled. The art prodigy looked at where the student had pointed to dramatically, seeing the black-haired carnivore standing with his tonfas out.

The third-year had a blank poker face covering his true emotions, but Tsuna, with his observation skills, could see the small twitches of one of his eyebrows. And the malicious aura that leaked off of the Skylark more so than usual…as well as the murderous shine in those eyes…

Tsuna shivered at the threatening being that was Hibari Kyoya. How could one person be so scary and strong in middle school? If the third year were an adult like someone he knew (Someone with a fedora), then he would be able to understand the strength and everything. Most adults were scary as it was, and the ones he knew (Aka. His caretakers) were pretty strong. But Hibari was a teenager. A third-year of middle school.

_It makes no sense_, the brunet cried within his mind, shaking on his spot at the ground. His mouth was wide-open as he watched the dark aura around the carnivore grow more irritated as the seconds ticked by. Was it strange that the art prodigy imagined the aura to be a dark-light-ish purple color?

"What do you want, Omnivore," Hibari asked in his usual low voice, moving his arms to make the sunlight reflect off of his tonfas. "For disturbing me, I'll bite you to death."

"Join the boxing club to the EXTREME, Hibari," the white-haired student yelled again. Tsuna laughed mentally, finding it funny. He was right, this guy was a fighter of some sort…for some reason, boxing just seemed to fit the guy and his bright yellow aura…

_Why do I keep giving their auras colors, _the art prodigy yelled silently, wondering why he was creating a habit all of a sudden? _I can't even see them! _

"Why would I do such a thing," the Skylark scuffed, huffing a bit in annoyance. It was obvious that the 'extreme' person wasn't scared of him and his purple (_Why do I keep doing that!?_) aura. "Sasagawa Ryohei, I shall bite you to death now, for disturbing my sleep for no good reason. "

The 'extreme' student (Apparently Sasagawa Ryohei) put up his fist as a grin spread itself onto his tan face, which had a white band stuck onto the bridge of his nose. What a weird person. "Hibari, you EXTREMLY need to join the boxing club! That fighting aura is what we EXTREMLY need!"

"Shut up, Omnivore," the carnivore spat out, running towards the other without further notice. He flung out one of his tonfas, aiming straight for Ryohei's head. He apparently didn't want this battle to drag on. Hibari usually defeated the people that didn't look as though they'd bring him entertainment right off the bat.

"Join the boxing club," Ryohei yelled as he ducked under the armed arm, his yellow aura brightening at the word "boxing" (_I seriously need to stop giving people's imaginary auras colors…_). He yelled loudly once again, but instead of the word "Extreme", it was just a simple battle cry. Which sounded like "HYAAAAAAA" in Tsuna's ears. He called out his attack's name before striking it, which ended up allowing Hibari to simply dodge by jumping up.

The perfect did a front flip and landed on his feet, swinging his body around immediately. His arms were out to hit the other with the metallic weapons held in them, and he once again aimed for the head.

And once again Ryohei dodged. And they repeated the process.

Tsuna noticed that unlike Hibari's fights with Mukuro (The pineapple siblings were in the theatre room at the moment, the blue-haired third year working special affects while Chrome recording the play going on), the Skylark really didn't seem to enjoy this battle. His movements were repeated (seeming to lack enthusiasm as they continued) and dull. Very unlike the perfect.

But then, the third-year noticed Tsuna, and immediately huffed in annoyance. He jumped away from the white-haired student and made a "Tch" sound, as though the brunet had ruined everything.

"Tch," Hibari sighed again, letting his arms fall to his sides, "I would love to bite you to death, Omnivore, but I have a prearranged meeting with the herbivore."

"Prearranged meeting," Ryohei asked in confusion, tilting his head.

"Are you still calling me a herbivore," Tsuna sighed shakily. He stood onto his legs that had fallen asleep, flinching as sharp pine-like pains poked at them.

Ryohei's gray eyes met his as the art prodigy blinked, and then the other was in front of him. Sparkles were once again in those eyes, and the bright yellow aura (_I give up…_) had grown larger than ever.

"Join the boxing club to the EXTREME," the white-haired student yelled at the brunet as the first year sweat dropped. Was boxing the only thing this guy thought about?

* * *

**AN: **_Comical ending to the twentieth chapter. XD I've grown to love Ryohei (In a comical kind of way), and wanted to bring him in. His EXTREME-ness is EXTREMELY catchy, lol. And his EXTREME-ness made the chapter longer. :3_

_Anyways, I don't want to really drag on the AN like usual... so, quick news! On the 15__th__ I will post one of my Halloween one-shots (if finished writing by then), and then on the 31__st__ (Halloween Day) I shall post the other one (Don't know which is which at the moment), as well as the first chapter to "Labyrinth". I would usually put a poll up for all of you to choose which story I'd post next, but I plan on having "Labyrinth" as a short multi-chapter story. Ten or less chapters. _

_Anyways, no more babbling! XD Ciao-Ciao for now! Please leave a review, favorite and follow on your return to the FanFiction archive! (Also, if anyone could do a 8027 romance/tragedy one-shot based on "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles, please PM me!)_


	21. The Day Before

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"The Day Before" (Chapter Twenty-One)_

* * *

_Was boxing the only thing this guy thought about?_

"Hold still," Tsuna grunted as he glared lightly at his muse, his sketchbook resting on his miniature canvas-stand and a pencil gripped in his hand. He huffed in annoyance as the older male in front of him continued to sway from side to side, looking around the rooftop as though it was the most interesting place in the world. Which it wasn't.

"Onii-san," the art prodigy sighed, closing his eyes as tiredness overwhelmed him, "Please, just sit still for a bit longer. I'm almost done."

'Onii-san' was the nickname that the brunet had given to Ryohei after their first meeting (Yesterday at lunch). The white-haired student was a second year and a boxing prodigy. He wasn't the brightest person in the bunch, but he was nice. He was a figure that Tsuna could look up to. Like Dino, Yamamoto, Fon…

_I'm influenced too easily, _the art prodigy realized as he continued to draw the 'extreme' person in front of him. He tried to ignore the arguments and talks that were going on around him, his friends not knowing the quiet game's (Well, Chrome knew) rules.

Gokudera, who had returned late last night from Italy, was currently arguing loudly with Hibari, who was standing threateningly with his tonfas out. The black-haired carnivore had a slightly amused look in his eyes, though kept his face emotionless. Sometimes Tsuna wished he had a poker face as good as the martial arts prodigy's.

Yamamoto was sitting on the ground, back against the brick wall. He was closest to Tsuna, making sure nobody would bump into the art prodigy. The tall first year had been very clingy since he had gotten back. In fact, the first thing he did when he got home yesterday in the late afternoon was go to the brunet's house. He needed to check up on his cute 'little brother'.

When Gokudera had heard of the sports prodigy's visit, he had began to yell loudly. And that resulted in Hibari waking up, and the carnivore threatening to bite the silver-head to death. And that just made the pianist angrier. Luckily Mukuro had a meeting with a professional director who wanted him to do special affects for his next movie, because the blue-haired third year would've made things worse.

His younger pineapple-haired sibling, Chrome, was sitting on the opposite wall of Tsuna, eating her homemade rice balls while watching him draw. It made the brunet feel giddy that someone was interested in the way sketched. Just like how a writer felt giddy when someone liked his or her writing style.

"Sawada," Ryohei whined in his deep voice, resisting the urge to yell out his favorite word, "I'm EX-"

The second year paused in the middle of his sentence, blinking his gray eyes for a moment. His mouth opened and closed like a fish, as though he was debating on how to phrase his words. His white eyebrows scrunched together as he thought it over for sometime, allowing Tsuna to finish the sketch of him.

"Sawada," the boxing prodigy started again, looking proud of himself, "I am very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very bored!"

_Eight very's equal one extreme, _Tsuna noted within his mind, hearing the words echo inside of his ears even though they hadn't been said aloud. "Go ahead and move around, Onii-san. I'm finished sketching you for today. Just remember that tomorrow at lunch we have to go to the big tree at the corner of the campus so I can paint all of you."

The reminder wasn't just for Ryohei. Tsuna made sure his voice was loud enough that everybody on the roof was able to hear him. They couldn't be late, because Tsuna would need the full lunch period (Give or take a few minutes) to paint them all. His brown eyes turned their gaze onto his friends, looking at them one by one.

"I'll remember," Yamamoto laughed out, amber eyes closed as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, signature grin on his face. Flowers and a blue haze (_Or is that his imaginary aura color?_) surrounded the sports prodigy as he opened his eyes, which were shining brightly.

"I won't forget, Tsuna-sama," Gokudera yelled determinately. His hands were balled into fists in front of his chest, and his eyes sparkled as he stared at his 'master'. Those imaginary dog-ears and tail were once again on him…as was his red aura (_This again, huh?_)

"Tch," Hibari replied, black jacket that rested on his shoulders swishing in the wind as he turned away. He jumped up to the platform on top of the roof, lying back down to sleep. But before he did, Tsuna could hear a mumble of "I'll be there, herbivore" which made him sigh in relief. Even though his purple aura (_Yep, this again..._) became a shade darker.

Chrome nodded her head from her spot, swallowing the bite of her third rice ball before answering, "Of course," she stated softly, not even needing to tell the brunet that she'd tell Mukuro for him. It was simply there in her tone of voice. Almost everything Chrome did, her brother would do with her (_No wonder both of their auras are indigo…_).

"Pfft, no need to remind me to the EXTREME," Ryohei replied enthusiastically. He was standing up and punching the air, as though it was his number one opponent in the world. Yellow flames surrounded him (_I'm going crazy, aren't I?_) as he burned with passion.

A small smile graced Tsuna's features, and his brown eyes held fondness in them as he looked down at the ground. He didn't get up from his spot, though. He continued to look down as his eyes began to water. As his mind filled with negative thoughts.

_Will their spirits be crushed when I tell them the news tomorrow, _he asked himself, trying to hold in his sobs. _Or will they just go on like normal? _His vision blurred, and dark spots appeared on the already dark cement. He immediately rubbed the tears from his eyes, making sure to appear as normal as he could as he lifted his head up.

The smile on his face shined brightly as he laughed sadly, making himself think of only good things. He could cry and be depressed all he wanted at him, in his room behind closed doors. But around his friends, he had to stay strong. He had to smile, no matter what.

_Smile till the end, _he told himself, _Even after I tell them, I will continue to smile, no matter how much pain it causes me. _And despite the worry in their eyes, they smiled back with just as much happiness and pain.

* * *

**AN: **_This was as far as I could get with this chapter. I'm sorry! o I was going to try and make this a really long chapter, but I just couldn't. But I hope you enjoy it anyhow. It was funny, happy, and sad all at the same time!_

_Ok, so "Trick-or-Treat, or Torture?" will be uploaded on the 15th (Hopefully), and "Of Ghouls and Monsters" shall be uploaded on the 31st (Halloween day), along with the first chapter of "Labyrinth"._

_In other news, I was thinking of creating a Drabble series for KHR! I had one other drabble fic (GraTsu drabbles for Fairy Tail), and I really liked to write them. XD So should I? Answer in a review, or on the poll on my profile. Or do both!_

_Anyways, Ciao-Ciao!~ Leave a review, drop a favorite, and add a follow on your way to A)My profile, B)The FanFiction Archive, or C)Some other third choice._


	22. Bumping into Chance

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Bumping into Chance" (Chapter Twenty-Two)_

* * *

_And despite the worry in their eyes, they smiled back with just as much happiness and pain._

Tsuna sighed heavily as he walked the outside covered walkways. He was still at school despite it being over for the day. And the reason why was because Fon was currently in China. His ride was in a different country, and so were his back-up rides. Reborn and Mammon were in Italy, and Colonello was in America. Which means all of his licensed, driving caretakers were not there to pick him up.

The brunet could have taken the bus. He even walked up to the large yellow vehicle, telling himself that he'd sit in the front seat, wouldn't ask anybody to sit next to him, and would stay silent for the whole ride until his stop. Then he'd run as fast as he could out of the vehicle full of teens and make sure nobody followed him to the house.

It was a good plan, the art prodigy decided. And he stepped onto the bus, and took a look around. He immediately got off, though, ignoring the shouts of "You can't get off the bus after you get on!" from the angry bus driver. If he got a detention, then oh well, because there was no way he was going to stay on that thing. Not with his regular bullies on it. Nope, no way.

Tsuna instead decided that walking was the better option than riding the bus. Sadly, the house was about two or three miles away. Not a long walk, but enough that he'd be exhausted once he got home. His noodles for legs were already shaking from the thought. But at least, maybe, he wouldn't have to walk home.

Takeshi was still at school for afternoon baseball practice. Maybe the art prodigy could convince (Aka. Asking cutely) the baseball fanatic to go home with him. The tall first year could even stay the night.

Tsuna didn't mind cooking for two, and quite honestly, he wasn't looking forward to sleeping in the house by himself. It scared him senseless to think that he'd be completely alone the entire night.

While the brunet waited for his blue aura'd friend's practice to end, which would be in about an hour, he had decided to walk around the school grounds, avoiding the places Hibari would most likely be. And the music, theatre, and fighting sports divisions. Quite honestly, he didn't want any racket at the moment. Not when his mind was in the clouds, and he could slip up and tell them everything on his mind.

Tsuna stopped walking as he heard the familiar pitter-patter of rain hitting the roof over him. He stepped over to the edge, and breathed in deeply, a smile gracing his features. The smell of rain was always nice to him, as well as the soft lullaby of raindrops falling. It was sad when he thought deeply about it, though, because when rain fell, it was often because the sky was crying.

_Are you sad too, Sky, _he asked silently, stepping out from under the cover. He lifted up both of his arms, allowing the water that fell from above soak him to the bone. His brown eyes were closed, and the tears of the sky slowly patted down his gravity defying hair. The brown locks chilled him as a few drops of water slid down his neck and down his shirt, despite the fabric already being soaked through.

_Why are you sad? Are they destroying what you love, too? Or are you lonely? If you are, then I'll stay here with you, because soon… I'll be lonely too._

The soft fall of the rain became harder as he continued to let it soak him. A sad smile slowly crept onto his face as he let his guard down. Nobody was here at the moment. It was just him and his lonely comrade. Just him and the sky. Just him standing in the rain, letting the sky camouflage his tears as he let out all his feelings into the atmosphere.

_They'll forget about me, I'm sure of it. They'll forget all about Dame-Tsuna, the amateur artist that sketched them. That caused them trouble. _

Tsuna's face scrunched up a bit as he let out a soft sob. He bit his lip, trying to keep his pathetic whimpering inside. Not even the sky needed to know of his burdens, of his sadness. Why was it that his life was crumbling down before him?

His dear, sweet mother had gone away to the land ruled by Death. His father didn't want him. And now, the one place he felt like he belonged was kicking him out.

"It isn't fair," he mumbled sadly, shaking lightly. The brunet wrapped his arms around himself, embracing the pathetic being that was him. "I just want to stay here with them…I just want to keep drawing…I just…I just want to keep the golden days here…"

Tsuna sighed shakily. He turned around and walked back under the covered area, wiping away at his face, rubbing his eyes. The brunet was tired. Very, very tired. His eyelids felt heavy, wanting to close and just sleep away forever. A shiver ran down the brunet's spine as a chilling voice resounded from behind him.

"What are you doing here, Herbivore?"

The malice and threatening tone made the art prodigy's legs move on their own, making him sprint forward. He didn't even care that Hibari would bite him to death the next day; he just needed to get away from the Carnivore. He didn't need to get beaten to a pulp on such a sad day.

Tsuna rounded a corner, and bumped into someone. Both of them fell down, and the brunet noticed that the third-year he thought had been chasing him was gone. His brown eyes blinked in surprise, then he turned his head back to the person he'd run into.

"I'm so sorry," he rushed, looking over the person. The brunet noted that the student was a first year that was in some of his classes, though only showed up every once in a while. He was known to be lazy and mature most of the time, though immature when he got in trouble or hurt.

The student was taller than him by half a head, give or take a few. He had slightly long black, semi-wavy hair, and his eyes were a light green color. One was closed, and had a hash tag mark underneath it. His skin was rather tan, smooth looking. And for some reason…he wore horns on his head. Was this guy into cosplay?

"Hmm, aren't you in my class," the student asked as he stood up, brushing off his pants. His voice was deep and comforting, unlike the rumors of his high-pitched squeal. "Or at least, in some of them?"

"Y-Yeah," Tsuna mumbled out, mesmerized. Everything about this person was perfect for a painting. A really, really high-class painting that the art prodigy would never be able to do. "M-my name is… is Tsunayoshi, b-but just call-l me Tsuna."

His fellow classmate stared at him for a few minutes, noting the red puffiness of the art prodigy's eyes. And the flushed face. And the mesmerized sparkle of inspiration in those brown orbs. "Tsuna, hmm? Have you been crying, by any chance?"

The brunet blushed fiercely at that, rubbing at his eyes. Was it that noticeable? "N-no… I was stan…standing in the r-rain for a whi-ile-e…"

"Yada, yada," the green eyed student mumbled, running his fingers through his hair a few times, avoiding the horns as though it was natural. "You really are a bad liar, Tsuna."

"I'm not lying," the art prodigy hissed, feeling comfortable around his classmate for some reason. The mature yet childish nature of the dark-haired person just made him feel older, despite the height difference. Why was everyone taller than him? Couldn't there be one person that was shorter than he was? That wasn't a girl?

"I'm Lambo Bovino, by the way," the person (Lambo) stated, ignoring the brunet completely, "Or I suppose it'd be Bovino Lambo, since we're in Japan and all. Yada, yada, I keep forgetting what country I'm in…"

"Lambo," Tsuna mumbled out, blinking his large brown eyes a few times. He continued to watch the Bovino as the dark-haired student continued to mutter to himself. His eyes began to sparkle as confidence over took him. He was supposed to have at _least _six people. There was no rule or instruction that said he couldn't have _seven_.

"Lambo, please allow me to sketch you right now!"

"What?"

Tsuna, without waiting for a reply, grabbed the hand of his new acquaintance and dragged him to the art room. Dino would still be there, which meant it was open. He could spend an hour or so sketching Lambo, then have the blonde drive him home. Yes, that was perfect. Another person to keep his mind off of things.

* * *

**AN:** _Muahahaha. The plot is rising to one of the climaxes!~ And yes, I plan on having more chapters after Tsuna finishes the painting assignment. XD There will be more to the story then that one assignment!_

_I have a poll up right now to decide if I should create a Drabble series for KHR! Please vote! I need to know if I should or not! XD_

_In other news, I am happy to say that this story had over 140 reviews. :3 I love reviews. I really, really do. At the moment this story also has 137 favorites, and 199 (one away from 200! X3)follows! Yay! Thanks for all the support, guys! Please keep sending in reviews, adding favorites, and putting on follows!~_


	23. Ghost in the Basement

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Ghost in the Basement" (Chapter Twenty-Three)_

* * *

_Another person to keep his mind off of things._

The pencil ran along the white paper gracefully, sketching the person standing in front of him. The art prodigy captured the essence of the dark-haired first year. He sketched every aspect of the other. The slightly waved ebony hair, the bright but calm and lazy green eyes, and the soft, arrogant half-smile on his face.

The teen was standing in a dramatic, high-and-mighty pose. It wasn't surprising; in fact, the brunet figured the drawing would be of a theatric-kind of way. Lambo was, kind of obviously, a theatre-based prodigy. He was a play writer, a director, and an actor (Though he enjoyed directing more than acting). Tsuna even figured out that the green-eyed teen was pretty smart. Not on Gokudera's level, but still smarter than him and Yamamoto combined.

But the dramatic first year had one major weakness: his laziness. No matter how talented one was, if they didn't put in effort to anything, then it wouldn't become anything. That was what Reborn had told him, and the quote had always stuck in the brunet's head.

"And," Tsuna mumbled, drawing out the word as he touched up on a few places, adding details as he went along. Everything had to be perfect, just like his other sketches of his friends, "Finished!"

Lambo, who had started to tense up in his pose, immediately relaxed. His shoulders slouched down and a heavy sigh escaped his lips, as he closed his green eyes. The theatre prodigy stayed like that for a few minutes, making the brunet feel awkward as he watched the ebony haired student. Finally, after about five minutes, Lambo suddenly stretched his arms up, startling the shorter teen. As he stretched, elongating his body, he took a deep breath in.

"Ah," the green-eyed teen let out the breath of air as he began to talk, turning to Tsuna with hunched shoulders and a tired expression, "Tsuna-nii, you took a long time…"

'Tsuna-nii' was the decided nickname given by Lambo, because for some reason, the black-haired prodigy saw the brunet as an older brother figure. Why? Tsuna didn't know. He did know, however, that it felt nice to be thought of as the older sibling. Especially since he appeared to be everyone's 'cute little brother' figure nowadays…

The art prodigy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, smiling at his new friend, "Sorry, Lambo. My hand was starting to get tired, so I slowed down a bit. After all, that was the fifth sketch…"

The two of them had decided that the dark-haired teen would stay over at Tsuna's place for the night. While Lambo's excuse was that he would get a free meal, the brunet had agreed to let the theatre prodigy stay the night because, honestly, he didn't want to be alone. Ever since his mother died, he had someone in the house with him. Reborn, Fon, Colonello, Mammon. They had been there in the house, keeping the eerie silence away.

His brown eyes drifted over to the slouching teen on the couch, those green-eyes closed tightly as he yawned. _Lambo is here, _Tsuna told himself, smiling softly. _Yes, Lambo is here, which means I'm all right. Another person to keep the darkness away…_

"Hey, Tsuna-nii," the theatre prodigy called from his sinking spot on the couch, startling the brunet, who blushed ferociously, out of his thoughts. "What's your relationship with Dino-sensei? You two seem close."

Tsuna blinked a few times, surprised by the question. He noticed the curious gaze pointed at the wall, which he knew was meant for him. A light blush had decorated the director's cheeks, causing the brunet to chuckle lightly. A smile crossed his face as he sighed.

"Well, Dino-nii, what I call him, is like an older brother to me."

"Eh, really?"

"Mhm. He looks out for me, and is always nice. He offers to do things for me sometimes, like today when he said he'd drive us here. Hehe, I even found out that he was the student of one of my caretakers."

"Oh, I see."

The conversation ended there, leaving an almost uncomfortable and very awkward atmosphere around them. The silence stretched for a long time, leaving Tsuna fumbling with his fingers to keep himself occupied. Usually, when Takeshi was over, the baseball star would start up the conversations. But this time, Lambo was over…and Lambo was too lazy to come up with topics to talk about.

"Um-" Tsuna began, but stopped as he heard a low rumbling sound. It was soft, very soft, but still noticeable. If the two of them had been in up in his room, or in a discussion of who knows what, then the soft groan of pain would have been overlooked. "What was that," the brunet shivered fearfully, looking around with terror-filled brown eyes.

"Hmm," the theatre prodigy hummed in question, still slouching on the couch. His tired eyes looked over dully to his knew found friend, watching as the short brunet twitched in fear. An amused half-smile crossed the ebony-haired teen's face, and as he opened his mouth to tease his entertainment, another low noise voiced its presence.

"Gah," the taller teen gasped in shock, jumping from his spot on the couch. He scrambled over to the shaking brunet in an ungraceful display of flailing arms and leaps and bounds. "T-T-Tsuna-nii! What-t was t-that!?"

Tsuna didn't know how to respond. He opened his mouth to mutter out an excuse (Maybe rusty pipes?) to calm down the now quivering director, and himself, but nothing came out. His voice was stuck in his throat, clawing at the sides of his esophagus to keep itself inside. _"No," _it squeaked fearfully within his mind, _"I'll stay in here! You don't need to voice lies, right? Right?"_

Another loud sound filled the horrifyingly quiet living room, causing the two teens to clutch each other tightly, hanging onto one another as though it was their own life. The next moan of what sound like agony erupted from the one room Tsuna had never been in. The basement.

_Was I right, _the brunet thought fearfully, his hold onto his dark-haired friend tightening, _Does Reborn really keep his victims down there?! Is that where he tortures them?! Or is that where he runs his slave drive?!_

"Hel…help…"

"Hiiiee," the art prodigy cried out, tears comically streaming from his eyes. He let go of Lambo as he scrambled over the top of the couch, quivering as he clutched the top of the furniture from behind it. "I-It's a-a-a g-ghos-st!"

"What," the lazy actor yelled loudly, joining the brunet behind the couch. But instead of using the couch as a shield, he used Tsuna. The shorter teen could be used as a sacrifice if it came to it. Ghosts like cute things, right? Then the ghost would be completely happy and leave him alone if he gave Tsuna to it, right? Right. "You didn't tell me your house was haunted!"

"I didn't know," Tsuna yelled back, petrified as he stared at the basement door. The moans and groans of pain had gotten louder, as though the ghost's agony had reach a new level. "I've been here for a month and a half, and this is the first time I've heard of the house being haunted!"

"Help… someone…"

"Hold…it…in," Lambo mumbled, shaking as his green eyes grew wide. He continued to watch the door, wondering why he had the strange urge to go into the basement. He continued to repeat the three words that he used to calm himself in these situation (Though it was his first time being in a haunted house. Should he be taking pictures?), trying to keep in his terror.

The brunet in front of him slowly began to stop shaking; staring at the door in curiosity more than fear, as the 'ghost' continued to plead softly for help. Something told him he should go down into the basement, as though he needed to. His intuition was kicking at his fear, yelling at it to get out of the way so he could be sensible.

If there were a ghost, wouldn't he have known about it before hand? Which meant that there most likely wasn't a ghost. Maybe his theory on Reborn's poor victims of torture being kept down there were true…

"Lambo," he whispered, listening to the begging of the supposed 'ghost' in the basement, "C'mon, let's go down there."

"Are you crazy," the ebony hair teen said in a loud whispered voice, staring at the other as though he had lost his mind, "Why would we go into the basement, where strange noise are coming from? Give on good reason why I should hand over the amazing Lambo-san to the ghost!"

Tsuna sighed out as the director transformed into his younger-minded self. In times of great stress, the wavy-haired teen's mind would degrade from that of a fifteen year old to a five year old. "Fine, stay up here, 'Lambo-san'," the brunet made air quotes with his fingers as he said the younger-minded Lambo's nickname for himself. Was it natural for actors're to refer to themselves in the third-person?

With some force, the art prodigy was able to tare himself away from the clutches of the lazy actor, walking towards the basement leisurely. It was only when he heard footsteps behind him that he actually thought of what he was doing. A small piercing feeling erupted in his chest as his hand touched the cold doorknob to the basement.

He had received strict orders not to go into the basement from Reborn (And Colonello, but mostly the fedora-wearing Spartan), and he was about to defy it. He was about to go against the terrifying being that was Reborn. The same Reborn that always stores a gun in his jacket and wears those devious smirks on his face.

_What am I doing, _Tsuna yelled at himself mentally, his pale hand beginning to shake, rattling the slightly loose doorknob in the process. He blinked a few times to rid himself of the fear, telling himself that Reborn wasn't there. The writer was in Italy. There was no way that he could tell that the art prodigy was entering the forbidden area, was there? _No, of course not. That's impo…not so impossible for Reborn…but whatever; I'll do something for once!_

With that, the brunet opened the basement door in one quick movement, thrusting himself into the cold room carelessly. His foot slipped on the first concrete step as he blindly took a step in. If it weren't for Lambo, who grabbed the hem of his shirt on instinct, then he would have taken a nasty bite of cement. And even though he was choked for a few moments, he was thankful the ebony-haired teen was there.

Together they fumbled down the staircase, shivering slightly at the temperature change. Who knew that two parts of the same house could be so different in heat? Tsuna couldn't help but notice that the dim light was on, and that the place didn't seem like a slave market.

There was work out equipment scattered around the area. Dumbbells, free weights, treadmills, and those bikes that stayed in place. What were they called? Elliptical bikes or something?

A mini fridge was placed into a corner, and when Lambo opened it (His curious nature would get them in trouble one day, Tsuna could tell) they found out it was filled with different drinks. Ranging from ice teas to energy drinks, all of them were scattered about in a strange array of colors.

Upon further examination, they found out that there was a bed in the farthest corner from the staircase, messily made with magazines of motorcycles and athletes. Neither Tsuna nor Lambo's type of thing. Even though the brunet found some of the designs on the bikes inspiring.

"Hiiieeee," Tsuna screeched after a few minutes of eerie silence. There in the dark corner next to the staircase was what looked like a body. He couldn't tell if they were alive or not, but he could clearly tell that they had been there for a while. Maybe a week or two at the most. "W-w-was-s-s I-I ri-ight!? D-Does-s Re…Reborn really keep is v-victim's c-c-corp-pses in h-here!?"

Lambo, hearing the commotion, decided to go over and see what the small brunet was shrieking about. When he saw the lifeless body on the ground, he too shrieked like a small child. But unlike Tsuna, he ran up the stairs in a blur of tan skin, green eyes and black wavy hair, leaving the brunet alone. If that was a crime scene, then there was no way the director would be staying down there.

* * *

**AN: **_I managed to get this chapter five pages long, before I lost the inspiration rush. It's been a full week since I've updated. Wow. Time seems to just fly by, huh? XD Anyways, yeah, here's the chapter. Next chapter the painting will (hopefully) be painted!_

_Well, tomorrow the Halloween special "Trick-or-Treat, or Torture?" should be up, by some miracle. And "People Like Us" should hopefully be updated in a few days._

_Anyways, that's all the news I have. Please a leave a review, favorite, or follow on your way to where ever you're going! XD I'd love to read what you have to say!_


	24. Sky of Colors

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Sky of Colors" (Chapter Twenty-Four)_

* * *

_If that was a crime scene, then there was no way the director would be staying down there._

"H-hey," the 'corpse' managed to croak out, making the brunet jump a few feet in surprise. The person, who had slightly spiked purple hair, and a high-pitched voice for a man, twitched slightly on the cement ground. He wore a purple jumpsuit (from what Tsuna could tell), and nothing seemed to be damaged. Externally, that is. "W-who…are…you?"

Tsuna, unfreezing at the hesitant question, blinked his large brown eyes a few times. It took him a few moments to finally recognize that he'd been asked something, and though he was still shaking in fear, he stated quietly, "I-I'm Ts…Tsunayoshi Sawada. R-Reborn is…is my caretaker…?"

Though he knew it was true, he couldn't help but say the ending in a questioning tone. Wasn't Reborn more like his personal torturer or something along that line? Maybe that was why his no-good father had the writer look after him, to make him grow up faster. _To punish me into someone else, _the brunet cried comically, letting out at bland fake laugh.

"O-oh," the purple-haired man said shakily. He slowly moved to push himself up, going very slowly, as though his muscles were stiff. Once he was in a sitting position, though his face was pointed at the ground, Tsuna let out a sigh of relief. This person didn't appear to be injured at all.

"Did Reborn throw you down here, too?"

"What," Tsuna asked, looking down at the other in confusion, before realization hit him. He jumped a bit how the writer through down this person down into the basement was so Reborn-like. "You mean he threw you down here!?"

"Y-yeah," the high-pitched man lifted up his face, dark purple eyes looking at the art prodigy in curiosity. He had pale skin, though a bit lighter than the brunet's, and had white bandages on his face that looked more like decorations than anything. His face had piercings all over, and a chain that hung off his lip.

_So cool, _Tsuna thought memorized, finding the look interesting. It would be fun to sketch. But at the thought of touching a drawing utensil and sketching yet another person made his sore hand throb to remind him of the ache. He had been sketching all day. And if he were to paint the next day, then he couldn't strain his hand tonight.

"By the way," the person that apparently was a victim of Reborn's said as he got up on shaking legs. "I'm Skull. I'm one of the roommates of the house," the purple-haired man (Skull), had an arrogant smile on his face as he stated who he was. Tsuna could only sigh mentally at his luck. Of course, another arrogant person.

_Its not so bad, _the brunet laughed silently. The more interesting people the less time he had to be depressed.

* * *

Tsuna had woken up late, used to someone waking him up (Via phone call or knocking), which wasn't going to happen with Lambo or Skull, who had both still been sleeping soundly. The brunet, rushing around the house, had worn out his voice yelling at Lambo to wake up.

His hands had an unmistakable ache as he picked up his supplies, wanting to use them when he painted his project that afternoon. He had hissed in pain as he grabbed his backpack roughly, and then dragged Lambo out the door. The theatre prodigy protested as they made their way to the bus (Tsuna hadn't wanted to ride it, but he would be late if he didn't), but the brunet wouldn't allow him to skip school today. He needed the ebony haired student for his painting.

The bus ride had been long and agonizingly silent, with the pouting director glaring out the window. As a result of sitting next to the walkway, Tsuna's shoulder got hit every time one of his bullies got onto the bus and noticed him, causing a stinging sensation to settle in. By the time the two first-years had gotten off of the big yellow vehicle, the brunet's shoulder was completely numb.

First period, English with Yamamoto, was strangely uneventful. That is, until the new teacher walked in. She had light brown-purplish colored hair that fell down to the bottom of her shoulder blades. It glinted in the light, along with her slightly familiar silver eyes, which strangely locked onto him immediately. Her skin was pale and Tsuna couldn't help but feel as though she seemed familiar.

"I'm Bianchi Gokudera," she introduced in English, and the art prodigy noticed a slight accent. It smelled of, what was it? He didn't want to be rude, but she smelled of... of what? He couldn't place a finger on it.

It took him a few minutes to realize that her last name was Gokudera, which meant she was related to his hot-tempered fried. "But just call me Bianchi-sensei," she added

Tsuna, remembering all of the horrible tales the pianist had told him, trembled slightly in her presence. Even though the older sister of the music prodigy didn't seem bad, he could feel a bit of a familiar aura leaking off of her. And what was that smell that practically rolled off of her? With a mental snap of his fingers, the brunet placed the scent. Poison (Which wouldn't be surprising if what Gokudera said was true).

After her appearance, nothing all that exciting happened. Though he was called on nearly every time she asked the class a question, which was humiliating. The brunet wasn't good at English, and would stutter out phrases that wouldn't have anything to do with what she asked. Every time he would sit down, he would spot that devious smirk on Bianchi's face, and a shiver ran down his spine. _How Reborn-like…_

During math, also with Yamamoto, and Lambo (Who the brunet just noticed was in that class), took a test. It was difficult to the art prodigy, but hopefully he didn't flunk it. If he did, he would most likely end up like Skull. Thrown down into the basement and forgotten…

And then it was his elective. Everyone, except for a select few (Including himself), was finishing their paintings, adding details and putting their signature onto it. No one had seen any of Tsuna's work, so they all looked at him and muttered different things the entire class period.

"_Dame-Tsuna hasn't even started!"_

"_I bet he can't even sketch a leaf, much less paint people."_

"_I wonder why Dino-sensei seems so interested in him…?"_

"_Maybe Dino-sensei feels bad for him?"_

The art prodigy felt himself twitching at the comments. Even if he was a humble person with little to no confidence, he didn't like to be underestimated in something he was good at. Especially if it was something he enjoyed doing.

_"Why is he here, anyways? He's not an artist. He's just a no-good person."_

Tsuna stood up from his seat, eyes shadowed by the brown locks of hair that fell into his face. His hands curled into fists on the table before he looked over at the last person to speak, whom stared at him in slight shock. But then the person, a dirty-blonde haired guy with cliché blue eyes, had a smug smile on his lips.

"What," he asked, grinning stupidly as though he was amused, "Does Dame-Tsuna have something to say?"

"No," Tsuna replied simply. He picked up his sketchbook from the table, handing it over to the blonde, "I'll let my sketches do the work."

The blonde-haired guy rolled his not-very-interesting blue eyes, flipping open the sketchbook to the first page. The first sketch of Yamamoto was the first page, and Tsuna smiled lightly at the fond memory. Then his face heated up a bit, cheeks going red as he realized he was allowing someone he didn't know to look at his drawings.

"U-um," he mumbled shyly, his regular personality coming back at full speed, "T-they aren't very…very good."

His large brown eyes were blinking largely, and shifting from side to side. He didn't look at the blonde, but he saw people starting to gather around him, looking at his drawings as well. The art prodigy got a nervous, butterfly feeling in the pit of his stomach, making him want to tear his sketchbook away from the crowd and run all the way home.

Just as he decided that he would ask for his sketches back, it was put down gently in front of him, and people swarmed around him. He couldn't tell what their expressions were, but they stood intimating, making him shake slightly. And then a gush of air hit Tsuna in the face as they all fell to their knees, bowing down before him.

"We're sorry," they cried together, "You are better than us all! Please forgive us!"

"Uh," Tsuna mumbled, not sure what to say. He blinked a few times. "I forgive you," he said uncertainly, the sentence sounding more like a question than anything.

"Thank you," the class yelled together, tears of gratitude comically falling from their eyes.

Dino, who had been out of the classroom, walked back in with Luce, who he was conversing with. The blonde art instructor stopped in his tracks, the blue haired principal following his lead, at the sight of his students bowing down to his cute little brother. His brown eyes blinked in confusion a few times, just to make sure the scene in front of him was real.

Luce giggled slightly, patting the klutz on the shoulder, "My, my. Tsuna sure is popular, huh?"

"I guess," Dino muttered, still staring as though it was an illusion.

* * *

Tsuna's face was sparkling as he ran up to the big tree on the campus. He could see the distinct faces of his friends, looking around for him. A few were smiling, but most of them had either a scowl, glare, or bored expression on their face.

"EXTREME," Ryohei yelled, punching an invisible punching bag in front of him, when he saw the brunet. "Sawada," the white-haired prodigy greeted, a large grin on his face. He moved around and punched the air, as though trying to get all of his energy before having to sit still for the painting.

"Tsuna," Takeshi laughed happily, slinging an arm around the art prodigy's shoulders. His amber eyes sparkled brightly for a few moments before he closed them, his signature happy-go-lucky grin plastered on his tan face.

"Don't touch Tsuna-sama so freely, baseball idiot," Gokudera hissed, his silver-green eyes narrowing in a glare. He clenched and grinded his teeth together in a painful fashion, making the brunet shiver just at the sound.

"Yada, yada," Lambo mumbled from behind the silver-head, his bored mask seeming a bit irritated, "Tsuna-nii, you never said that Gokudera-nii was part of your muse." The ebony-haired director sighed exaggeratedly, as though he was trying to put emphasis into it. But it was so well done that it sounded fake, as though he was acting.

"Tsunayoshi," Chrome called out gently, a curious shine in her purple eyes, "Who is the cow child?" She pointed towards Lambo as though accusing him of committing a crime. Tsuna laughed inwardly at the lazy actor being referred to a 'cow child'. Somehow, the title fit him.

"Kufufufu," Mukuro laughed. He was leaning against the brown bark of the green-leaved tree, looking relaxed and smug with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Tsunayoshi," he stated deviously, a smirk on his lips, "You should hurry. You only have today to paint, correct?"

"I'll bite you to death," Hibari growled out, jumping down from a branch up on the tree. He had been snoozing there with his yellow pet bird (Strangely named Hibird) that followed him around. It was fluffy and small, contrasting against the 'dark' and dangerous carnivore. "Hurry and start painting, herbivore."

Tsuna giggled slightly at the interactions between his friends and himself, feeling as though they were family. His brown eyes held fondness in them as he directed them into different positions. A scene had come to play in his mind as he thought of painting them all the night before. Now it would be brought to life and kept for eternity in a painting.

Takeshi was standing up, the brunet wanting to capture his elegance despite how tall he was. Gokudera was put next to him, to contrast their personalities against one another. Lambo was sitting next to Gokudera, legs stretched out in front of him as he leaned back on the palms of his hands.

Chrome sat on the opposite side of the tree, legs together in front of her in a modest position. She was holding her camera close to her, just like when he first sketched her. Mukuro was leaning against the tree still, though was looking down at his younger pineapple haired sibling with a small smile placed on his lips.

Hibari was lying on the lush green grass with his hands behind his head, black jacket that usually laid on his shoulders underneath him. One of his legs was bent up, and Hibird had decided to land on his head to take a nap as well. Ryohei was next to him, standing and looking pumped up as usual.

"Go ahead and talk to each other," Tsuna told them as he set up his easel, setting the canvas on it. He adjusted the white rectangle a few times, trying to get it centered. "You can move your face and arms, but try not to move your torsos, hips or legs, please."

The seven of them mumbled out a reply, ranging tones from happy-go-lucky, irritated, loyal, determined, bored, monotone, and mischievous. A smile once again slipped onto the art prodigy's face as he gripped the paintbrush in his hand, finding the familiar feeling of the wood nostalgic.

The last painting he had created with it had been the one of his mother. His brown eyes turned misty at the thought of her, buried somewhere deep underground. Tsuna shook his head before he could farther into thought. Now wasn't the time.

_Or is it, _he thought, looking up at his muse. He let all of his emotions leak out of him as he made the first stroke of paint on the white canvas, letting the world around him sink away. It was only the brunet and his muse at the moment. Only Tsuna and his friends, and nothing more.

His hand moved on its own, creating the outlines of the people that mattered to him. He created the high contrast of their personalities, of their looks, of their behavior and posture. He did everything, just to capture the pure beauty of the moment.

The leaves on the trees rustled as a gust of wind blew by, but Tsuna didn't pay it any attention. Nor did he focus on the people walking behind him to watch him paint for a few moments. A yell from Gokudera or a threat from Hibari was enough to get them to leave.

"Nobody's gonna mess up Tsuna-sama's focus," Gokudera yelled out in determination, letting out a deep breath through his nose. His eyes sparkled, and the imaginary dog-ears and wagging tail appeared on the music prodigy.

"Yada, yada," Lambo sighed out, resisting the urge to run one of his tan hands through his black hair. He had the strange urge to actually do something. Was he an ironic person? When he was supposed to move, he was lazy. When he wasn't supposed to move, he was energetic… The green-eyed theatre prodigy looked up in thought as he pondered the idea in a deeper mindset.

"Be quiet or I'll bite you to death," Hibari scuffed out in annoyance, looking as though he wanted to tear someone's head off.

Tsuna, not really registering the conversations going on between them, mixed together distinct colors for his friends. The imaginary auras he always saw would be a contributed factor to his project. Since Dino hadn't said that everything had to be realistic, the brunet decided to make the sky a rainbow of the colors of his friends.

Red for the pianist with a storm of emotions raging within him, who could become a loyal friend when understood. _Gokudera-kun…_

Blue for the baseball star with the tranquil smile that could calm someone like the pitter-patter of the rain. _Takeshi…_

Yellow for the ever-bright and confident boxer, with the loud voice that could ring through any hard time just like the sun. _Onii-san…_

Green for the dramatic and electrifying being that truly could take someone's mind off of unwanted thoughts. _Lambo…_

Purple for the high-and-mighty, terrifying being that despite being a dangerous carnivore, could protect and care for a herbivore like a cloud hovering over it. _Hibari-san…_

Indigo for the two pineapple haired siblings that could bring a mix of calm and slyness when needed. _Chrome, Mukuro…_

And orange, for a humble and caring person he hoped to meet one day. His friends, unconsciously, looked over at him just as he mixed the orange into the multicolored sky.

"Finished," Tsuna sighed out, rubbing his cheek with his paint-splattered hand, rubbing off some of the orange paint. A smile adored his face and made the world light up even brighter. He quickly signed his name at the lower right hand corner, aware of his friends stretching and moving towards him.

They looked at the painting and gave a variety of replies, but before he could respond to any of them, the bell that signaled lunch would be ending in five minutes rang. The art prodigy packed his things and grabbed the canvas, being careful with his precious piece of art. He took a few steps away, before turning back around.

A sad smile was plastered on Tsuna's face as he gave the news to his friends, for once allowing the warm tears to cascade down his face even though he knew they were watching. He explained the situation of the art program being canceled, and that he wouldn't be there the next semester. And before any of them could say anything back, he said gleefully, "Thank you, everyone! I had a blast."

And with that, he ran to the art room, ignoring the shouts behind him. The smile never left his face, though, even when he handed his precious painting of his time at the school to Dino. The smile stayed put the entire day, until he collapsed on his bed and let out all the emotions he hadn't allowed himself to feel.

* * *

**AN:**_ I was going to upload this last night, but FF was being mean to me. But here it is now! I hope you enjoy it! The next chapter shall be the last chapter for the first arc! XD Then the second arc of the story shall begin._

_Ok, so I have the drabble series up. And I also have the Halloween special up. And I have a poll up. I would appreciate it if you would vote! The poll shall decide the pairings in this story that I need to hint at more! If there are any suggestions, PM me. And, if anyone can tell me Ryohei's pairing number, and Lambo's pairing number, it would be much appreciated._

_Please review! They give me inspiration to write more! :D _


	25. Time to Rise

**Title:**_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary:**_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up)._

**Chapter Title: **_"Time to Rise" (Chapter Twenty-Five)_

* * *

_The smile stayed put the entire day, until he collapsed on his bed and let out all the emotions he hadn't allowed himself to feel._

Tsuna was happy it was the weekend. After going home, he realized that he allowed himself to cry in front of his friends. He allowed himself to let out a pathetic whimper of defeat because he would be leaving the school. He was so embarrassed by his actions, that for most of the day of Saturday, he lied in bed and fought with himself internally. His mind kept drifting to what would happen on Monday, when he would have to face all of them.

_Why didn't I just wait, _the brunet thought sourly, pulling his gravity-defying hair to the point that he could have ripped them out. _It isn't that long till the end of the semester! I could have waited! Then I wouldn't have had to see the pity in their eyes for the rest of my time there…why am I such an idiot!_

Skull had knocked on his door several times. Each time sounding more worried, as though the brunet he had just met meant so much to him. Tsuna wanted to yell at him to stop knocking, that he wouldn't open the door. He wouldn't (_Couldn't_) open the door, not even if Reborn threatened him. The doorknob would stay closed and locked, just as it should have been from the very beginning.

What had letting people in done for him, anyways? He had let in seven amazing people… _Takeshi, Chrome, Hibari-san, Mukuro, Gokudera-kun, Onii-san, Lambo…_and now he was leaving them behind. He would most likely never talk to them again after he transferred.

"Tsuna," the daredevil asked hesitantly at the door, knocking softly. Why was everyone so persistent, so stubborn? It was annoying. "You should come out before Reborn gets home."

The brunet kept quiet even at the mention of the sadistic writer. His brown eyes looked over to the closed door, imagining Skull leaning against it, his ear pressed against the cool, white wood, trying to listen for some kind of response. The art prodigy sent a silent message, not trusting himself to speak.

_When would Reborn be returning?_

"Just in case you were wondering," Skull mumbled as though he had heard the question allowed, "He'll be returning tonight, along with Mammon. Fon is just leaving the airport and should be home in about an hour. Colonello will be gone for a few more days, though."

_They're all coming back earlier than expected…Why?_

"I hope you don't mind, but, uh, well…I told them of what happened. Ya'know, your small break down last night?"

_That's right…I thought that was just a dream, but I had_ _a panic attack last night, didn't I…?_

"They seemed pretty worried. Even Reborn!"

_Like Reborn really cares…he probably just wants to have an excuse to beat me up…_

"…Tsuna," Skull asked hesitantly. He scrunched his eyebrows together, trying not to break down himself. Silence was something he didn't sit well with. There had to be some sort of noise, something to reassure him that the brunet hadn't died. "Hey, Tsuna? Please open the door?"

Tsuna stayed on his bed, lying on his side facing the door, the brown eye on the pillow closed while the other watched the piece of wood separating him and the rest of the world. He had reverted back to his emotionless self that he usually went into during these sorts of situation. When he got the news of his mom dieing, when he learned he would be staying with a stranger, when he had learned that the art program would be shutting down… all of them reverted to this.

He curled into a tighter ball, his hand clutching the arm that wasn't pressed against the mattress. The brown locks of hair that fell into his face shifted to shadow his eyes, trying to let everything melt away into darkness. "Just leave me alone," he croaked out quietly, trying not to let any emotion out. But the broken tone somehow smuggled into his voice, and that seemed to get Skull to leave for a while.

_"Just leave me alone…"_

* * *

Hours passed by in what felt like minutes. Tsuna woke up to the sound of banging on the door. His brown eyes opened up sluggishly, peering at his dark room. The curtains fluttered in the light breeze coming in through the cracked-open window. Moonlit illuminated the room, though not as bright as the sun.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada! Get out here!"

Reborn? But Reborn doesn't call me by my full name…

"Tsuna! I mean it! Don't make me break this door down!"

Go ahead… it doesn't matter…

Silence etched itself into the room as the constant, annoying banging stops. Tsuna, looking at the door in silent astonishment, wonders if the sadistic writer had given up. Or maybe one of the other roommates had stopped him.

The doorknob giggled for a minute before a familiar clicking sound filled the otherwise silent room. The door itself slammed open immediately, hitting the wall behind it violently. The loud bang made the brunet flinch slightly, but his brown eyes stared at the person with little to no emotion. The usual fear that would have run through his veins at the sight of the black fedora and curly side-burned man was gone, nonexistent in that moment.

"I thought you were going to break down the door," Tsuna mumbled in a monotone voice, looking as though he had given up. _I have given up…_

"I decided against it," Reborn huffed in reply, those dark eyes narrowed in a paralyzing glare. He looked over the small brunet, and sighed internally. It was worse than what Skull had said. "Time to rise, Tsunayoshi. Get up."

A part of the brunet asked why, but his body moved on its own. For the first time that day, he sat up in his bed, and stood. His legs were shaky as they supported him, but he ignored it. He took a few steps forward, looking at Reborn with dull eyes, and then proceeded.

_I wonder what's going to happen…_

* * *

The drive to the mysterious destination was quiet, just like when Reborn had been driving him to the shared house for the first time. Tsuna kept his eyes on the window, trying to keep them open. It was almost midnight, and the darkness of night kept trying to embrace him into sleeping. It sounded nice, but the brunet knew the consequences. If he slept with Reborn in the car, he would end up with a giant bump and possibly at bullet on his head.

Tsuna didn't remember most of the ride, too sleepy to watch the scenery. All he did was stare blankly out the window with dull brown eyes, absentmindedly closing his eyes longer than a blink every once in a while.

The humming of the car was nice and soothing, relaxing the jumpy nerves that were buzzing back. They weren't as strong as usual, but they were still there, a hazy reminder of his surroundings. Once the gentle hum was gone, he opened his eyes tiredly, not realizing that he'd closed them once again.

"Get out," Reborn huffed in annoyance, taking off his seat belt but not stepping out of the car. The brunet watched him in curiosity, wondering why the fedora-wearing man wasn't proceeding to exit the vehicle. Those sharp dark eyes turned to him in a pointed glare, and an irritated sigh escaped his pale lips, "I'm not getting out. This is your personal business, Tsunayoshi."

_Why is he still calling me that, _Tsuna hummed in thought as he clicked the seat belt strapped around him off, unlocking the door and pushing it open. When it closed, the thud echoed slightly. His observant brown eyes turned to take in the scenery. It was a building, an empty building that looked in ok condition. Nothing special about it. Yet, the brunet felt a pull to it…Why?

With a few cautious steps forward, the brunet heard the car's engine start and the window to the passenger's side slide down. Reborn called from his spot behind the wheel, the smirk that would have usually appeared in this situation still not present. "I'll be back in the morning. This is your personal business, after all. Try not to die, got it?"

With those encouraging words, the window rolled back up surprisingly quick and the car sped off, a slight dust trail left in its wake. The brunet just blinked after it, his brown eyes reverting the their normal form. Panic clawed away at his insides, nervous and terrified butterflies flapping their wings against his stomach.

"Ehh," he screeched, "What do you mean!? Come back, Reborn!"

"Haha! Don't be scared, Tsuna! We're here!"

"Stupid Baseball idiot! Don't sneak up on Tsuna-sama like that!"

"That was an EXTREME scream, Tsuna!"

"Yada, yada, Tsuna-nii."

"Tsunayoshi, are you alright?"

"Hn. Herbivore, stop being so jumpy or I'll bite you to death."

"Kufufufu. What a late reaction, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna's stopped for two reasons at the sound of voices. One was that they were so familiar, and that wasn't a good sign. The only voices that could have sounded so calm and familiar at a time likes this were his friends. The ones that he had cried and whined to. And the second reason was that they had snuck up on him, causing his heart to skip a beat out of fear.

He vaulted into the air, and when his feet were planted on the ground, he took a step back. And tripped, like the klutz that he was. Before his pale face made impact with the ground (Which, by the way, did not look as though it was as soft as his pillow), someone grabbed the back of his shirt. With a quick glance behind him, he saw that it was none other than…

Takeshi. The baseball star was smiling down at him, just as he always did. Happiness that was always mixed into his amber eyes around Tsuna was there with a vengeance, but the brunet could see the new feeling put in. It was so foreign, like a splash of black paint on a canvas filled with ever-bright colors. Sadness.

Tsuna could feel his heart drop a bit at the sight. That emotion didn't belong on the sports prodigy's face, not at all. It had only appeared once on the tall first-year's face during their relationship, and it wasn't a happy memory.

With a look around at the others, he noticed the same thing. Their usual emotions that surfaced around him had one foreign one mixed in. They were sad, because of him, because he was leaving them. He had been the one to get them to open up. He was the one that brought them together. And now he was going to be the one to close them off. He was the one that was going to tear them apart from one another.

Takeshi lifted up his 'little brother' and put him on the ground gently. The brunet swayed a bit on the ground before he stabilized himself. Some of his brown hair that hung in his face shadowed his deep brown eyes, keeping what emotions were mixing into them a secret.

"T-Tsuna-sama," Gokudera called out hesitantly, taking a step forward to his precious savior. The silence between all of them was thick, nearly being existent as a solid object.

"Ne," Tsuna said softly, beginning a question that was probing at his mind, "Why are you all here? And why is everybody sad?"

At the question, Gokudera blinked back in confusion. Yamamoto's eyebrows scrunched up in worry but the smile never left his face. A huff of annoyance was heard from the back of the group as Hibari moved forward, looking as though he wanted to use his brunet punching bag for accusing him of being sad.

"Kufufufu," Mukuro chuckled, though he was stiff. How could someone see through him so easily? "I have no idea what you mean, Tsunayoshi."

"You all know what I mean," the brunet muttered under his breath, looking at the ground with a slight narrow his eyes. "All of you are sad! Don't lie!"

They blinked at him. All of them, simultaneously. And it would have been funny if not for the atmosphere that had gathered around them. It was tense and uncomfortable, as though they had all become strangers in one day of being apart.

"Herbivore," Hibari scuffed, walking over to the short brunet quickly. The same dangerous aura surrounded him, but Tsuna didn't shiver in fear like usual. His brown eyes in a pointed glare looked directly at the Skylark, and they didn't even wince when the third-year lifted him off the ground by the front of his shirt. "The way I didn't realize that you were hiding something… That is why I am _irritated_. Not sad. Get it right or I'll bite you to death."

Tsuna's brown eyes widened at the scolding tone in the Disciplinary Committee's Leader's voice, as though he was simply telling a child not to do something dangerous again. The Skylark let him go, and his feet hit the ground rather softly.

"Kufufufu. Even though I hate to admit it," Mukuro added, sauntering up to the short first-year with the same mischievous smirk on his lips, "The Birdie is right. Sadness is not an emotion at play in my set-up for this performance. But annoyance, well, it has a big role at the moment."

_It sounds as though he's talking about special affects for a play, _Tsuna noted silently, taking a step back from the blue-haired prodigy. The creepy smirk seemed to have double to the effect today…

"While Mukuro-nii and Birdie may not be sad," Chrome muttered quietly, a small blush forming on her pale cheeks, "I am, Tsunayoshi. You can tell me anything. I don't like that you… that you kept something this important from us…"

"I agree with the women," Gokudera stated, though didn't sound very happy. He had wanted to be the one to say that! "You can tell me-us- anything, Tsuna-sama! Especially if its something this important!"

"Octopus-head is right to the EXTREME," Ryohei shouted, disturbing some of the birds that had been sleeping in a near by tree. The music prodigy glared over at him and made a clicking sound with his tongue, but said nothing (Even though he looked as though he wanted to).

"Tsuna," Yamamoto said next to him, putting a hand on the brunet's shoulder, "We can help!" The ever-carefree and cheerful grin made an appearance on his tan face as his amber eyes closed.

"Yada, yada, Tsuna-nii," Lambo muttered, stepping forward to stand in front of the shorter first-year, "You could have come and talked to me. My family owns the school, after all."

Tsuna blinked at the ebony-haired Director in silent shock at the news. Before he could jump for joy, he decided he needed to ask one question. The one question that had been bothering him since he had first gotten the news that he'd be leaving at the end of the semester.

"Why are they closing the art program, then," he asked in what sounded like a desperate cry. His friends (Excluding Hibari and Mukuro, who had begun to fight, and Chrome who tried to stop them) nodded their heads at his question, wanting to know the answer also.

Lambo rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, green eyes looking up at the dark sky. "Eh, well, see… Father didn't want to keep paying for the damages that Dino-sensei kept making, so he was going to cancel the art program to fire him."

_That's overly complicated; _Tsuna scolded the theatre prodigy's father mentally. But he didn't say it allowed. Instead he yelled, "But Dino-nii can't get fired!"

"Yada, yada. I'll talk to him about it," Lambo sighed, looking to the side as though it would be a lot of work. "At the very least, I should be able to talk him into keeping the art program open. But it may be harder to convince him into letting Dino-sensei keep his job…"

Tsuna smiled at the first-year, who had a light blush on his tan cheeks. He leaned up and patted the lazy actor's hair, having to stretch his arm to do so. "Thank you, Lambo. It means a lot."

The blush on the director's face brightened, and he turned away quickly, coughing a few times. A thought passed his mind, but he didn't trust himself to speak aloud at the moment. A few minutes passed, the area quiet except for the battle noises from the two fighting third-year. Poor Chrome had given up on trying to stop them, and sighed softly.

"Its EXTREMELY late," Ryohei commented as he looked at his phone. It had a yellow case and two boxing glove charms, which swayed slightly.

"No, really," Gokudera said sarcastically, rolling his silver-green eyes. The shouted reply of 'yes to the EXTREME' from the boxing prodigy caused the pianist to march over to the second year and hit him on the head. Another fight started out between the two of them when Ryohei threw out an EXTREME right hook.

"Hey, Tsuna?"

"Yes, Takeshi?"

"How are we getting home? There are no phone bars around here."

"Reborn said-" The brunet stopped as his sadistic caretaker's voice rang through his head.

_"I'll be back in the morning."_

"-That he would be back in the morning," Tsuna finished, hanging his head in defeat. He let out an exasperated sigh as his friends replied to his words with irritated (One happy-go-lucky person and one-eyed photographer excluded) tones.

"You mean we're stuck here until tomorrow!?"

"At least there's a house here, right," Yamamoto laughed out, causing the others to glare over at him. The sport prodigy's eyebrows furrowed in worry, as though he just realized that most of his friends were dangerous people. Dynamite, a tonfa, and a trident flew towards the tall first-year as he once again as he stated they were having a 'sleep over'. It would be a long night, Tsuna could tell.

* * *

**AN: **_Well, this took forever. Not so much because of the length, but mostly because I had writer's block. It really sucks writing with writer's block… XD But I finally got the chapter done. And it's pretty long… sort of…_

_I'm gonna change the layout of my stories in a little bit. :3 But I wanted to post this first. None of my stories will be taken down, by the way. Oh, and guess what? Last chapter got up to 20 reviews! :D That made me so giddy! Thank you!_

_On one final note, I have yet another poll up. It's to decide what 27 pairings are the most popular! :3 I'd appreciate it if everyone would vote, please! You can choose up to 19 choices, and there are 38 in total._

_Please leave a review, favorite, or follow! Or all three. Up to you. :3 _


	26. Late Night and Early Morning

**Title: **_"Life can Become Art"_

**Summary: **_And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could make sorrow into something beautiful._

**Disclaimer: **_Add!_

**Chapter Title: **_"Late Night and Early Morning"_

* * *

_It would be a long night, Tsuna could tell. _

Yamamoto had managed not to get hurt from the attack. The dynamite sputtered out from a convenient gust of wind, and had simply flown over the sports prodigy's head. The tonfa and trident had hit each other and fell out of line with the baseball star, missing him by a foot. A foot that was much appreciated by the brunet.

"Haha," the oblivious first-year laughed good-heartedly, not quite understanding that the other students actually meant to hurt him. His amber eyes blinked open in slight shock as a drop of water hit his forehead. He looked up at the sky in slight confusion, smiling softly as rain began to fall. The smile turned into a grin as he heard the yelp of surprise from his cute 'little brother' figure.

"Let's EXTREMELY go into the building," Ryohei yelled, trying to punch the droplets of water as they fell. The seven of them (Excluding the yellow-aura'd student) nodded in agreement, and headed towards the building. But the boxing prodigy, with a determined sparkle in his eyes, stayed in his spot and continued punching the raindrops. It was great accuracy training!

A few minutes passed when Lambo, looking as though he wanted nothing more than to forget about the white-haired second-year and go back undercover, walked back out. The lazy actor grabbed his upperclassmen by the collar and dragged him into the building, grumbling under his breath about sparkling puppy eyes…

* * *

Tsuna twisted and turned around all night long. His eyebrows scrunched up in frustration as he turned onto his stomach, wondering why his mattress was so hard beneath him. With an annoyed sigh, he opened his brown eyes halfway. With droopy, tired eyes, he looked at the hard ground that was his bed, and the memories of the night before came flooding back.

_Oh_, the brunet thought sluggishly, glaring lightly (Which looked more like a pout) at the floor, _that's right… Reborn left the others and me here…_

The art prodigy pushed himself up off of the floor, and looked around the abandoned warehouse (As they had found out) to see where his friends were. Up on one of the high platforms slept Hibari, looking strangely peaceful in his sleep. Just like the time that Tsuna had drawn him next to the big tree on the school campus. With a blink, the brunet wondered if the Skylark still had the drawing.

A look to the left showed Mukuro asleep with his back pressed against a wall, his mouth slightly opened as he breathed evenly. His sister, Chrome, leaned against him, her head resting against his shoulder. A small blush dusted her cheeks even in her sleep, and one of her small, petite hands was overlapped with the special affect prodigy's larger one.

To the right Gokudera was also lying with his back to one of the walls, a quiet snore coming from his mouth every now and then. His head was rested against slightly waved ebony hair, which belonged to no other than Lambo. The director had his arms wrapped around the pianist's right arm, a smile on his face. The brunet couldn't help but notice the brotherly bond between the two. He wondered if they had known each other longer than they let on.

A loud snore made Tsuna's head snap behind him, where Ryohei was located. The second-year student had a large grin on his face and drool running out from the corner of his mouth and down his chin. He was sprawled on the ground, his arms twitching as though he was having a dream about boxing. The brunet chuckled softly at the sight.

A yawn escaped the art prodigy's mouth as he lay back down. Though before he was able to close his heavy eyelids and allow the blissfulness that was sleep was over him, a though popped into his head. He sat up quickly, ignoring the blood rushing to his head, and looked around the warehouse for the one friend he hadn't seen. Where was Takeshi?

"The baseball herbivore couldn't sleep. He took a walk," rang Hibari from where he slept. Tsuna looked up at the platform he was laying on, blinking. The third-year was still in the same position as before, the relaxed expression on his face not changing at all. But feeling the brunet's gaze on him, the Skylark opened one of his eyes, looking back at the younger male. "Go back to sleep, herbivore, or I'll bite you to death."

Tsuna felt a shiver of fear run down his spine, and as he once again lay down onto the hard, uncomfortable floor, his eyelids closed. Without a second thought, he allowed the wave of tiredness to over run his body, sleeping without waking up again.

* * *

Battle noises filled the warehouse as the sun began to rise into the sky. Tsuna cracked open an eye rather forcefully, looking up to see Hibari and Mukuro glaring at one another, their weapons of choice blocking the other's.

"Hiiiiieeeee," the brunet yelled, flipping until he was on his bum. When two sets of eyes turned to glare at him, making him want nothing more than to climb into a hole and be forgotten, he scooted back until his back hit the wall of the abandoned warehouse.

The two third-years jumped away from each other, still scowling hatefully, and struck at the other once again. The clang of metal hitting metal echoed in the nearly empty building, sounding as though a full army had hit their weapons together at once. Though, with a thought, Tsuna guessed that with Hibari and Mukuro's skills, they _were_ an army banging their weapons together.

"Calm down," Takeshi, who had appeared next to the brunet, said softly. His amber eyes were closed and the smile on his face seemed strained. With a shiver of recognition, Tsuna realized that not even the happy-go-lucky baseball star wanted to be near the two third-year prodigy's clash of wills. "There's no need to fight, Hibari-san, Mukuro!"

"Tch," Gokudera clicked his tongue in annoyance, his silver-green eyes narrowed in a glare at the 'older' students. "For once I agree with the baseball idiot. Knock it off, idiots."

"Yada, yada," Lambo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Like you have any room to talk, Gokudera-san."

"Whaddya say," the violent pianist hissed out at the lazy actor, one hand out in front of him in a fist, "You stupid-cow?"

Cow? Tsuna blinked in confusion at the nickname.

With another smart response from the 'cow', the music prodigy hit the ebony-haired first year on the head. While Gokudera continued to argue with Lambo, Ryohei decided to go over and defend the lazy actor. In a matter of minutes (Not really. It was about ten seconds at most), the silver-haired first-year and boxing prodigy ended up in a fight. While it wasn't as intense as Hibari's and Mukuro's (Which Chrome was now trying to interfere with), it was still scary to the brunet.

Tsuna sighed once again, a smile on his pale face. He hung his head in defeat as the battle between the martial arts and special affects prodigies, whom were older than the rest of them, and the pianist and boxer continued. Why was he stuck with all of the strange people?

* * *

**AN: **_Yay! Chapter 26 is done! :D Sorry it took a bit longer. I've been writing poetry and other stuff. And school is starting to get intense. But I am making an effort to write as much as I can! Chapter nine of "People Like US" (I'm going to start referring to it as PLU from this point on) is maybe halfway through. Depends on how much more I'm going to add. XD_

_I've noticed that I've written a lot of stories for KHR! XD But I guess that's what happens when you're obsessed with something, huh? Anyways, I was not able to write a birthday fic for Bianchi, but I already have one for Leviathan done. :3 I shall post it on Thursday, aka. His birthday, aka. The fourteenth. _

_And with that, I ask for all of you to review! And to vote on the poll, that is still up! All27 is in the lead, with R27, F27, and 1827 behind it! People really need to go and vote for 8027…like, seriously… XD Um, by the way, I am taking requests! Please, send me a PM with a basic understanding of what you want (Basic plot idea, character-focus, pairing you want hinted, etc.). No, I'm done talking… Please give me feedback for this chapter!_


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